SOUFRIERE HILLS

Montserrat

1995-1997

This island measures approximately 16 km (10 miles) long and 11 km (7 miles) wide, giving 40 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline.

Approximately the size of Greater LiverpoolThe gradient of the land is mountainous,

there are four active volcanoesThe land was formed from a hotspot

Timeline of events

1995 18 July - Chances Peak volcano erupts for the first time in 350 years. Thousands are forced to evacuate. Many take up temporary residence in "safe areas" in the north; others flee to neighbouring Caribbean islands, New York and Britain.

August - Government declares a state of emergency. December - Britain assists with rehabilitation programmes and

grants millions of pounds in development aid. 1996 April - Britain announces that Montserratians will be

granted residency and the right to work in the UK for up to two years.

1997 25 June - Soufriere Hills volcano erupts with devastating effects. Two-thirds of the island is left uninhabitable and 19 people are killed. Plymouth, the capital, is abandoned. Montserrat's airport is closed, the island is accessible only by helicopter or boat.

Overview

Seismic activity had occurred in 1897–1898, 1933–1937, and again in 1966–1967, but the eruption that began on July 18, 1995, was the first since the 19th century.[2] When pyroclastic flows and mudflows began occurring regularly, Plymouth was evacuated, and a few weeks later a pyroclastic flow covered the city in several metres of debris. The first phreatic explosion in this new period of activity occurred on August 21, 1995, and such activity lasted for 18 weeks until it caused an andesitic lava dome. This was initially confined by a sector-collapse scar. This period lasted for another 60 weeks, after which there were major dome collapses and two periods of explosive Vulcanian eruptions and fountain-collapse pyroclastic flows.[3] It blanketed Plymouth, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) away in a thick layer of ash and darkened the sky almost completely. Earthquakes continue to occur in three epicentral zones: beneath the Soufrière Hills volcano itself, in the ridge running to the north-east and beneath St George's Hill, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the north-west.[4] A large eruption on June 25, 1997, resulted in the deaths of nineteen people. The island's airport was directly in the path of the main pyroclastic flow and was completely destroyed.[5] Montserrat's tourist industry was also destroyed. However, it is now regenerating.

The governments of the United Kingdom and Montserrat led the aid effort, including a £41 million package provided to the people of Montserrat; however, riots followed as the people protested that the British Government was not doing enough to aid relief.[6] This had followed at £10 million aid offer by International Development Secretary Claire Short, prompting the resignation of Bertrand Osborne, then Chief Minister of Montserrat after allegations of being too pro-British and not demanding a better offer.[7] The British destroyer HMS Liverpool took a large role in evacuated Montserrat's population to other islands; this included Antigua and Barbuda, who warned they would not be able to cope with many more refugees.[7] About 7,000 people, or two-thirds of the population, left Montserrat; 4,000 to the United Kingdom

Impacts

7000/11000 inhabitants were evacuatedPeople moved to the north of the island which

was considered to be safe£41 million damage19 people killed

Key Dates

Summer 1995 – volcano began erupting April 1996 – ash cloud, island evacuated25th June 1997 – major eruption