on 27 December. Government officials began outreach efforts to residents in the area throughout December and January, in order to review evacuation plans in case volcanic activity at the volcano escalated. The effusive eruption continued into January, during which time the lava dome had grown between wide and long, a growth which continued in February as the lava dome was also releasing gas and steam plumes from its top. By 22 March 2021, the lava dome was tall, wide and long. Sulfur dioxide emissions were being generated from the top of the dome. On 8 April 2021, after a sustained increase of volcanic and seismic activity over the preceding days, a red alert was declared and an evacuation order issued as an explosive phase of the eruption was deemed to be imminent. An explosive eruption occurred at 8:41 AM AST on April 9, 2021, with an ash plume reaching approximately and drifting eastward towards the Atlantic Ocean. By then, approximately 16,000 people had evacuated the area surrounding the volcano. Subsequent explosive eruptions, created by multiple pulses of ash, were reported in the afternoon and evening of 9 April, according to the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Centre. Explosions continued over the following days, with plumes reaching nearby Barbados and covering the island with ash. Residents were also faced with power outages and cut off water supplies, and the airspace over the island was closed due to the presence of smoke and thick plumes of volcanic ash. There were further reports of continued explosive activity and pyroclastic flows. The final explosion took place on 22 April 2021. The eruption, rated as VEI-4 on the Explosivity Index, was comparable in size to the eruptions of 1979. Support of inhabitants Saint Lucia, Grenada, Antigua and Barbados all agreed to take in evacuees. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves encouraged people evacuating to shelters elsewhere on Saint Vincent to take the COVID-19 vaccine. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza announced via Twitter that his country would be sending humanitarian supplies and risk experts. Carnival Cruise Lines sent the Carnival Paradise and Carnival Legend to each transport up to 1,500 residents to neighbouring islands. The cruise line Royal Caribbean Group sent Serenade of the Seas and Celebrity Reflection. Assistance and emergency financial support was being provided by several nearby islands, the United Kingdom and agencies such as the United Nations. The first significant offer of long-term