NEMO said the island is red ready, meaning an eruption ‘is now imminent’.
In about a dozen districts of St. Vincent said there were evacuation orders, affecting about 6,000 to 7,000 people, a spokesman for the University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center, or UWI-SRC, told CNN.
St. Vincent is the largest island of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines chain in the Caribbean.
Scientists from the Belmont Observatory in St. Vincent observed a volcanic earthquake on the island around 3am local time, according to UWI-SRC.
The first band of tremors was followed by another four with the last at 13:00. This type of seismic signal is usually associated with movement of magma and liquids near the surface, according to UWI-SRC.
Steam clouds can also be seen from the observatory during periods of earthquake.
According to the Ministry of National Security for Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley spoke to Gonsalves and offered assistance.
Venezuela will send humanitarian supplies and risk experts, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on his Twitter account.