Mud volcano erupts in T&T

At least three homes were evacuated, and several cracks have appeared on the road as the Devil’s Wood Yard mud volcano in the town of New Grant, to the south of Port-of-Spain erupted early Tuesday.

Members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service (TTFS) and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) reported that they converged on the site of the volcano that began erupting at around 4.00 am (local time).

In a statement, the OPDM said it is “closely monitoring” the situation together with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the Geological Society of Trinidad and Tobago (GSTT), the University of the West Indies (UWI) Geological Society, the UWI Seismic Research Centre and the Princes Town Regional Corporation.

“Presently, the EMA is mobilizing a team to visit the site to conduct air testing in the area. Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service (TTFS) and Police Service (TTPS) are on site to maintain public safety and security.”

Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat said three homes have been evacuated, and there are cracks on the road and that the area.

He said there was still seismic activity at the site and the size of the mud flow was growing.

The first recorded eruption of the mud volcano occurred in 1852 and 30 years later. But it has been dormant since then with small cones emitting mud and gas over the years.