montserrat eruption

• eruption info:

  Soufrière volcano on Montserrat – in a LIC

  1997

  19 people died 

  Capital city is Plymouth – however the southern third of the island became an exclusion zone and abandoned 
• short term response

  Large scale evacuation by the British navy 

  Abandonment of the capital city, Plymouth 

  Compensation and redevelopment money donated by UK government

  Unemployment rose due to the collapse of the tourist industry
• causes

  Montserrat lies on destructive plate boundary where the Atlantic Plate is being subducted beneath the Caribbean Plate. – creates island arc

  Many who live on the island work in agriculture so are very poor and cannot afford to defend themselves. 

  People are vulnerable as everywhere in the island is within 15km radius of the volcano
• eruption

  Capital evacuated in 12995 due to risk of lahars and pyroclastic flow in 97 which killed 19 people

  Dome collapsed in 97 creating 5 million m2 of pyroclastic flow – destroyed English harbour
• effects

  Started with small earthquake and eruptions of dust and ash it remained active for 5 years with the most intense eruptions in 1997

  Between 95-97 it was devastated by pyroclastic flows 

  11,000 pop was evacuated in 95 to neighbouring countries and UK

  19 people killed by eruptions – some people stayed to watch their crops 

  1,600 in temporary shelters
• pre-eruption conditions pre 1995

  The volcanic area is located in the southern part of the island – chances peak

  The volcano had been dormant 300 years 

  Started to erupt 18th July 1995

  Population 11,000
• population

  o   1995 – 11,000

  o   1997 – 4000

  o   2002 – 8000 due to the boom in construction
• Long term recovery


  1. More jobs became available on the island

  2. New buildings, new government buildings, a renovated theatre, new primary schools, new housing in the north

  3. New football fitch and stadium built at Blakes estate

  4. Plans to build a new medical school and a school for hazard studies – not been built to this day

  5. One of the new developments was an airstrip, when this was built the UK and US governments stopped subsidising the ferry between Antigua and Montserrat. This then made it more difficult to get to Montserrat, so the number of tourists fell, and the price of goods increased

  6. New port was only complete in 2020 called little bay
• A lot of the aid that was given to Montserrat after the eruptions had dried up, the UK provided over $120 million of aid but announced in 2002 it was phasing it out
• UK gave £160 million by 2007, but it stopped
• Then in 2004, it announced a £40 million aid deal over 3 years
• Second evacuation in 2006 due to another eruption but quiet in 2010
• 2009 – 5000 construction jobs complete- people began to leave to get jobs
• other events

  The volcano has been rather quiet. 

  In May 2006, the Soufriere dome collapsed, causing a tsunami that affected coastal areas of Guadeloupe and the English Harbour. 

  The tsunami was 1 metre high, no one was injured but flights were cancelled between Venezuela and Miami due to the large amounts of ash.

  The volcano continues to have a major impact on the people who remain on the island. 

  The economic future of the island is uncertain due to the lack of aid, the difficulty and cost of reaching Montserrat and the small size of the island. 
• conclusion

  This is an example of a failed, top down imposed recovery scheme

  It didn’t take into account the needs for the people. 

  Not sustainable livelihoods approach eg not maximising economic benefit such as jobs although it did look after the immediate risk of death.