Seismologist: St Vincent 'orange zone' residents can go home

WHILE he said it would be premature to say the La Soufriere volcano is "going back to sleep," seismologist and vulcanologist Roderick Stewart has said residents of the "orange zone" can begin returning to their homes.

He said the volcano's activity is "quieting down."

It is almost a month since the St Vincent volcano erupted. It has left many areas coated in ash and others affected by lahars (mudflow).

Residents of the northern part of the island (the red zone) were evacuated and have been staying at the homes of friends and family, at hotels or one of the 80-plus designated shelters.

Many people who live in the orange zone had also evacuated as a precaution. The orange zone includes the villages of Chateaubelair and Georgetown.

Speaking at a virtual press conference on Monday morning, Stewart said there had only been very small lahars over the weekend which did not cause any further destruction.

The country's Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said Cabinet would make a decision on Wednesday about orange-zone residents returning.

But when he asked Stewart, he said, "Yes, orange-zone residents can reoccupy."

But Gonsalves warned this had to be done in an orderly manner and that the government needs to finish the ongoing cleanup efforts there.