Montserrat ­ Case Study

What?
The island Montserrat once regarded as a tropical paradise in the Caribbean,
was devastated when, in 1995, its volcano, Chances Peak, erupted for the first
time in centuries.

Where?
Montserrat is located in the Caribbean islands and is part of the Lesser Antilles.
The island…

docks and airports were destroyed, no rescue could reach the island quickly. As
the dome collapsed, a huge ash cloud reaching up to 10km in height rose above
the island, resulting in blackout conditions as the sun was blocked. This made
rescue and evacuation more difficult as aircraft couldn't reach…

There was a large increase in unemployment as many businesses in the south
were destroyed, including those based in the capital. Some businesses which
survived the earthquake were shut down because they were not making profits
due to the population decline. This contributed to unemployment. Ash covered
farms and crops,…

Montserrat's inhabitants can prepare for an eruption by developing an
evacuation map. Furthermore, the chances of fatality from a pyroclastic flow can
be eliminated (it is currently 1 in 10) by enforcing the exclusion zone more strictly.

This map shows the current exclusion
zone, which is no admittance except from…