Soufriere hills Montserrat Volcano 25 JUNE 1997

Soufriere hills composite volcano Montserrat

Montserrat is above a destructive plate margin where North American Plate forced under Caribbean plate

About 4-5 million cubic metres material released over 20 minute period 

Further eruptions occuered over next few months and airport destroyed by pyroclastic flows 

19 people killed & 7 injured

100s people homeless

Fires destroyed many buildings e.g. local gov offices, police HQ and petrol stations

Population declined - 4000 came to UK

Total loss in value of people's homes and investments - £1 billion

<20 villages & 2/3 homes on island destroyed by pyroclastic flows

Tourists stayed away- businesses destroyed - disrupting economy. 

however tourism now increasing people wanna see volcano

Schools, hospital, airport and port destroyed

Large areas covered volcanic material

Capital city Plymouth buried under 12m mud and ash

Volcanic ash eruption- improved soil fertility 

People evacuated from south to safe areas in the north- 1st evaucations = 1995

Shelters built house evacuees

Temporary infrastructure built e.g. roads and electricity supplies

UK provided £17 million emergency aid (Montserrat overseas territory of UK)

Risk map created and exclusion zone in place- South of Island off-limits whilst colcano intermittently active

Montserrat Volcano Observatory set up - try predict future eruptions 

Scientists studied event 1980s- reports not given a lot of attention  Y U IGNORE US

No disaster management plan 4 volcanic eruption SO... responses slow

In 1990s key infrastructure had been built areas @ risk - when volcano erupted = destroyed

- this further hampered response