Posted on 10/10/2002 1:17:43 PM PDT by cogitator
MONTSERRAT - Soufriere Hills volcano -West-Indies
October 10th, 2002
Special notice : As of the 9th of October, 300 people have been evacuated by safety measures. Neighborhoods at the base of Montserrat's rumbling Soufriere Hills volcano stood deserted as residents confronted the familiar quandary of rebuilding their lives a second time. By the time the evacuation sirens sounded Wednesday to signal the area's indefinite closure. For two weeks, the Soufriere has been coughing clouds of gray ash that cover buildings, cars and trees across the island. Many people wear surgical masks over their mouths and noses. Most Montserratians have abandoned the island altogether, though its north end is safe from the volcano's dangers, which also include mudflows, lightning and intense heat that can ignite fires. This week's evacuation zone includes Old Towne, Isle's Bay, Waterworks, Happy Hill, and lower Friths, all declared off-limits until further notice. Scientists say the volcano's dome of hard lava now at its peak of 1,640 feet (500 meters) could crumble and cascade in pyroclastic flows that hurl rivers of hot ash, gases and rocks. "In the past two weeks we've seen constant activity. It's been like a freight train," said scientist Peter Dunkley of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. "If the dome collapses to the north, it could be a mess." The volcano sprang to life in 1995, causing numerous evacuations and more than half the population to flee the British Caribbean territory. Two major eruptions in 1997 killed 19 people and buried much of the south, including the capital, Plymouth. The population, which in 1995 was 11,000, has dropped to about 4,000, with many people moving to nearby islands or to Britain. The Soufriere volcano is the Caribbean's only active volcano on a populated island. Another 15 volcanoes in the region are dormant, except for the underwater Kick 'Em Jenny Volcano near Grenada.
This has been going on a long time. Like Pompeii and Naples, they live there and it's just windows wallpaper for them.
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