Eastern Caribbean monitors underwater volcanic activity with Kick em Jenny

Residents of  the Eastern Caribbean are bracing for the possible eruption of an underwater volcano, known as Kick'em Jenny, which is located off  the coast of  Grenada.

The UWI's Seismic Research Unit in Trinidad has placed the territories on what it calls an orange alert.

“There is highly elevated levels  of seismic activity , earlier this morning, a strong continuous signalwas observed on instruments monitoring the Kick ‘em Jenny  an eruption is possible within 24 hours

Kerry Hinds, acting Director of  Disaster Emergency Management in Barbados,  told a news conference on Thursday about the significance of  the orange alert.

Meanwhile Director of  the Coastal Zone Management Unit in Barbados Dr. Lorna Inniss, says the possibility of a tsunami arising from Kick'em Jenny activity is very low.

Radio stations in Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Trinidad are on alert.  

In addition, all ships are required to stay outside the first exclusion zone, that is 1.5 kilometres from the summit, and non-essential shipping such as pleasure craft should stay 5 kilometres clear of  the summit.  

An eruption, or increased activity around Kick’em Jenny, is particularly dangerous for ships since the gases it releases can sink vessels, due to lowering water density.   

The rumbling has also affected telecommunications service in Grenada with only the FLOW network apparently operating.      

Kick’em Jenny last erupted on December 4, 2001, and it has erupted twelve times since 1939