Many people were forced to flee their homes when La Soufrière erupted on Saturday, though some remained. The rumbling was heard 32 kilometers south in Kingstown, the island's capital.
Kalique Sutherland, a local, said, "I'm just here wondering when it's going to calm down."
Professor Richard Robertson, the lead scientist at the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center, believes the eruption could last for a long time.
"It's likely that it will calm down at some point, and hopefully we will have a break so that we can heal a little bit more," Robertson said, "but don't be surprised if it starts up like this again after the break."
Elford Lewis, a 56-year-old farmer who was forced to flee his home this morning, believes the current eruption is worse than the previous major eruption in 1979.
"This one is more extreme," Lewis said, recalling the massive eruption from decades ago.
In 1902, a 1220-meter volcano erupted, killing approximately 1600 people.
About 16,000 people have been forced to leave their ash-strewn cities, packing as much as they could into suitcases and backpacks. There have been no reports of anyone being killed or wounded as a result of the initial explosion or subsequent ones.
The prime minister of the 32 islands that make up St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves, has advised people to stay calm and continue and try to protect themselves from the coronavirus.
Officials were attempting to determine the best method for collecting and disposing of the ash, which filled an airport runway near Kingstown and dropped as far as Barbados, about 190 kilometers to the east.
Around 3200 people sought refuge in 78 government-run shelters, as four empty cruise ships waited to transport more evacuees to nearby islands, with a party of more than 130 already being transported to St Lucia.
Those staying at the shelters were given Covid-19 tests, and those who tested positive were sent to an isolation center.
Antigua and Grenada, two neighboring countries, have also offered to take in evacuees.
