That island nation is beefing up its watch on the volcano that went off not long ago. St. Vincent and the Grenadines will hire a geoscientist and a seismic technician for its La Soufrière monitoring unit. Disaster Management Minister St Clair Leacock announced the plan at a revamped Volcano Observatory handover.
The government is adding eight new mountain monitoring stations while upgrading current sites. Leacock said the observatory retrofit supports advanced research and community warning systems. He warned the public against messing with the sophisticated technical equipment installed across the area.
Funding came from a World Bank concessional loan totaling EC$4.6 million for the observatory project. The National Emergency Management Organisation also got an EC$1 million grant for seismic gear. This aims to strengthen overall volcanic surveillance on the island following a prior major eruption.
Minister Leacock emphasized his government's commitment to constant monitoring through NEMO's unit. He praised previous work on volcano preparedness while urging citizens to avoid damaging the stations. The upgrades reflect ongoing disaster preparedness efforts for the active La Soufrière volcano.
The government is adding eight new mountain monitoring stations while upgrading current sites. Leacock said the observatory retrofit supports advanced research and community warning systems. He warned the public against messing with the sophisticated technical equipment installed across the area.
Funding came from a World Bank concessional loan totaling EC$4.6 million for the observatory project. The National Emergency Management Organisation also got an EC$1 million grant for seismic gear. This aims to strengthen overall volcanic surveillance on the island following a prior major eruption.
Minister Leacock emphasized his government's commitment to constant monitoring through NEMO's unit. He praised previous work on volcano preparedness while urging citizens to avoid damaging the stations. The upgrades reflect ongoing disaster preparedness efforts for the active La Soufrière volcano.
