NEMO marks 38th year since La SoufriПre’s last eruption

Thursday, April 13, marked 38 years since the last eruption of La Soufrière volcano, and the National Emergency Management Organiza­tion (NEMO) will be joined by the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of The University of the West Indies, the Soufriere Monitoring Unit (SMU) and the Forestry Division to commemorate the anniversary and to raise awareness of the risk and science associated with an active volcano. This year, NEMO will be targeting primary and secondary school students in Kingstown, Clare Valley and Colonarie. A community meeting will also be held in Rose Place tomorrow, Wednesday, April 26.

On Friday, April 28, there will be an educational field trip to La Soufrière, under the guidance of Dr Richard Robertson,

geologist and director of the Seismic Research Centre. The educational field trip is open to the public and persons wishing to take part can register with NEMO at telephone: 1-784-456-2975.

Although La Soufrière has been quiet for some time, it is still an active volcano and will erupt again. Citizens should know where they live in relation to the volcano and in which hazard zone they are located. The 1979 eruption demonstrated that the volcano can move from unrest to full scale eruption within 48 hours, a reminder of the importance of having a family emergency plan, so that families can evacuate at short notice.

The UWI Seismic Research Centre is the agency responsible for monitoring earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis in the English-speaking Eastern Caribbean. Scientists at the UWI-SRC are constantly monitoring La Soufrière and any changes in activity are immediately communicated to NEMO and SMU. Tampering with volcano monitoring equipment, such as solar panels, may prevent scientists from issuing timely warnings, thereby putting the population at risk.

• Wednesday, April 26 – School Presentation on Volcano and Geological Hazards:

• 9:15 a.m. -10:15 a.m. – Grade five Students, Kingstown Anglican Government School

• 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Form four (4) Geography students, Girls’ High School

• Tsunami Smart Community Meeting – Rose Place Hard Court – 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 27 – School Presentation on Volcano and Geological Hazards.

• 9:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. – Colonarie Government School

• 1 p.m.- 2 p.m. – George Stephens Secondary School

• Friday, April 28 – Educational Field Trip La Soufrière.