Over 8,000 People Evacuated on Ambae in Vanuatu

Map of volcanic hazards for Ambae in Vanuatu. VMGD One large-scale evacuation is already occurring in Indonesia as Agung remains restless, but in the South Pacific, another volcano is causing nearly as much trouble. Manaro Voui, on Ambae in the island nation of Vanuatu, has seen its eruptive activity increase dramatically, so much so that authorities have ordered over 8,000 people to evacuate (UPDATE: some of which have now left the island). The island itself has a total population of only ~11,500, so over 2/3 of the population has been asked to move to the far side of the island due to the activity at Ambae. Grey ash plumes (below) have been produced over the last few days as the activity has increased. UPDATE 9/25: New Zealand will be sending a team to survey the volcano. A state of emergency has been declared on Ambae with a large exclusion zone around the volcano.