Montserrat erupiton (1955-present)

Background

• part of an island car, located in the Caribbean. A self governing British overseas territory and is known as the “Emerald Isle of the Caribbean”

• Plagued by sporadic ash falls and lava flows since 1995

• 1997 major eruption - devastates southern part id ins land and buried the capital, Plymouth.

• Prompted more than half the islands population to leave.

• Volcano remains party uninhabitable

Soufriere volcano

• complex strato volcano.

• 350 years of quiet - came back to life in 1995 and started to build a new lava dome.

• Eruptions altered between less and more intense phases

• Dome - associated with large pyroclastic flows from dome collapse

2009

• 4th October 2009 - Montserrat epxenreicens 1hr of small earthquakes and gas output from the volcano

• ash escaped and he dome of the volcano grew for several weeks

• Pyroclastic flows occurred and reached parts of the island it has not before

2010

• Jan-Feb 5 powerful eruptions resulting in volcanic bombs, has, lava and pyroclastic flows.

• 11.52am 11th feb 2010 - dome of volcano collapsed - pyroclastic flows

• Ash and lava added 650m of land near Spanish Point (by airport)

• Ash could - 12,200m into air

Impacts and responses

• economy devastated - 2-3rds of island uninhabitable.

• Pyroclastic flows - destroyed most of the fertile agricultural land in the south

• 19 killed

• GDP fell by 44% 1995-1997 due to lack of tourism (40,000visitors per year)

• (75% of islands infrastructure and population lived in South) infrastructure destroyed.

• Total costs $1bn

• Period of vegetative regeneration estimated 10-20 yrs

• Population of Montserrat 10,000 > 4,000 (left are those who had the money to)

• Strong sense of local community

• Temp accommodation largely inadequate - over 20% of relocated still in public shelters 1yrs later.

Responses

• Population was evacuated many time 1995-1997

• Exclusion zones set up following hazard mapping

• UK and USA provided volcanologists to monitor volcano. The Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) set up to continue monitoring.

• HMS Liverpool sent by UK to bring back several refugees.

• New airport completed, UK and EU have spent aground £200m on regeneration projects.

• Plymouth and over 50% of the island remain as part of exclusion zone.