PRESS RELEASE
Saint-Pierre, December 4, 2020 "Yellow vigilance changes our level of surveillance, but not our daily lives! It was with his words that the prefect concluded the press briefing he organized this afternoon with the director of the Volcanological and Seismic Observatory of Martinique and the director of the Institute of Global Physics in Paris. A change of status for Mount Pelee, which if dormant, has always been an active volcano. With this yellow vigilance, it is for scientists to equip themselves with new means to continue to follow the evolution of the mountain. The measurements will be reinforced with drones, the addition of 2 GPS stations, a seismic antenna, new geochemical measurements at the Claire River. Why this yellow vigilance? Because in recent months, the number of earthquakes observed under the volcano has increased: 51 in September, 50 in October, 78 in November. But… 1 in August, 44 in July, 25 in June 2020. Scientists who carefully observe the activity of the Pelee are formal: yellow vigilance is an alert for scientists but for the population. Martinique, like its sister island of Guadeloupe, accumulates risks: cyclonic, seismic, volcanic, flood, tsunami and erosion risks. The mayor of Saint-Pierre hopes that this new situation will make it possible to strengthen the facilities of the North Caribbean and particularly of Saint-Pierre, such as the bridge necessary to cross the River of the Fathers, between the Preacher and Saint-Pierre, which should be built in order to guarantee the absolute safety of the inhabitants of the Preacher and the northern districts of Saint-Pierre, the reprofiling of the Route de la Trace, and the implementation of maritime passenger transport. He recalls that the City of Basse-Terre, administrative capital of Guadeloupe lives under the volcano La Soufrière in yellow vigilance for nearly 30 years, which has not prevented it from developing. The same Soufriere that for the month of April 2020 alone recorded 275 earthquakes. The resources available to scientists today are considerable and sometimes make it possible to predict certain natural risks well in advance. This is the case for volcanic risk. The mayor invites the population with the sense of responsibility that characterizes it, to participate in compliance with barrier gestures in the information meeting organized by the Prefect Saturday, December 5 at 2:30 pm at the covered market of Saint-Pierre.