|
The town
of Plymouth was (and
still is) the
capital of Montserrat
and is located in the
south eastern part of
the island which is now
restricted by an
exclusion zone following
the eruption of the the
Soufriere Hills volcano
in 1997.
Earlier
in July 1995 the
Montserrat Volcano
erupted covering much of
Plymouth in a thick
layer of volcanic ash.
The town was clearly in
danger and in December
of 1995 the whole town
was evacuated. Many of
Plymouth's residents
moved away from
Montserrat as the
economy had been
severely disrupted and
there was not enough
accommodation or work in
the safer northern part
of the island. Early in
1996 the residents who
had remained on
Montserrat were allowed
back into Plymouth;
which turned out to be a
terrible mistake. |
|
The photo
above shows the spire of
the Catholic church
giving an idea of the
depth of the lava and
ash |
In June
1997 a huge eruption
occurred producing
pyroclastic flows which
claimed the lives of 19
people in Plymouth and
the surrounding area and prompted the permanent
evacuation of the town.
Two months later, a four
day period of intense
eruptions and further
pyroclastic flows in
August of 1997 destroyed most of
what was left of
Plymouth. Much of the
town was buried under
volcanic lava, ash and
rock.
As the seat of
government, the main
commercial centre and
the only port of entry;
the almost total
destruction of Plymouth
caused huge problems for
the island. Even the
island's W H Bramble
airport, which was
located on the other
side of the Soufriere
Hills volcano, was
destroyed by a
pyroclastic flow. |
|
Montserrat Government HQ |
"Star of
the Caribbean Road" gas
station |
|
Before
the volcano activity the
population of
Montserrat was over
12,000; with many of the
residents living in and
around Plymouth. The
population of Plymouth
was 4,000 in 1995 and is
now 0. Some two thirds
of the total population
of the island were
evacuated, many never
returned. Today the
island's population is
around 4,570 and over
half of the total area
of Montserrat is covered
under the exclusion zone
and deemed too dangerous
to redevelop.
Reconstruction of
Montserrat is taking
place in the safer
northern half of the
island. |
|
Interactive
Satellite Image
Use the "+" or
"-" buttons to
zoom in or out |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
