(Trinidad Guardian) The Seismic Research Centre of The University of the West Indies (UWI SRC), located at the St Augustine Campus, has received global acclaim for its handling of the eruption of the La Soufrière in St Vincent and The Grenadines.
A release from the organisation reports that UWI-SRC was announced as winner of the 2022 Volcanic Surveillance and Crisis Management Award, presented by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) on Thursday 16 June 2022.
The IAVCEI is the world’s leading global volcanological association.
Director of the UWI SRC, Dr Erouscilla Joseph accepted the award in Heraklion, Greece, during the Association’s 11th Cities on Volcanoes Conference (COV11).
“The prestigious, peer-nominated accolade, awarded biennially, recognises the Caribbean team of experts at the UWI SRC for its outstanding management of the 2020-2021 eruption of La Soufrière in St Vincent and The Grenadines,” the UWI-SRC statement said.
“The nomination was based primarily on The UWI SRC’s response, made particularly challenging within the context of the global pandemic,” it added.
Due to UWI-SRC’s state-of-the-art monitoring techniques, robust partnerships and timely communication with stakeholders, approximately 16,000 people were evacuated ahead of the explosive phase with no reported serious injuries or casualties.
