ALL THE THINGS YOU’LL NEED TO KNOW TO VISIT, TO SHOP, TO STUDY & TO LIVE IN MONTSERRAT! Click on the letter of the page
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Owner:
Leslie Ogle, Rockland St Peters Montserrat WI
VIDEO RENTALS also see DVD’S VILLAS FOR RENT see ACCOMMODATIONS IN MONTSERRAT
Dormant since the early 1600's, Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano became active again, erupting on July 18, 1995. Spectacular though it was, the eruption was anticipated with preparations for the safety of the community long in place and very effective. In character, Soufriere is much like Mt .St. Helen's in Washington State which also did its damage with superheated ash and rubble, rather than with lava flows. Soufriere's first eruption in 1995 was not devastating to the island's residents, though it was spectacular. Two years later Soufriere wrought its real havoc, burying the capital city of Plymouth, most of the island's airport and destroying one of the island's most popular diversions when it covered the Belham Valley Golf Course in rubble and ash. Prior to Soufriere's second eruption, a visitor's life in Montserrat was considerably different than it is now. The Montserrat Golf Club offered 9 holes and tennis courts and the capital city of Plymouth was a delight with its historic buildings and small town charm. Tragically, in 1997 twenty farmers were killed by pyroclastic flows when they ventured into the unsafe area disregarding the warnings of imminent volcanic activity. Though even today Soufriere is not quiescent, it can be seen safely from high spots on the island. The new Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) also provides an excellent view along with a professionally guided tour of the facility. From these vantage points you will also see the destroyed capital city of Plymouth and the ash covered farm lands that not long ago were the fertile agricultural farms that made Montserrat so productive and so economically viable. The experience of seeing an active volcano and its power to destroy is moderated knowing that the staff at the MVO is not only studying Soufriere, but constantly monitoring its status in order to warn residents and visitors of any imminent escalation of volcanic activity. If you are browsing with Internet Explorer and would like to hear what the Soufriere Volcano sounds like, click here! In the following two photographic tours, ride along with vulcanologists as they visually for any changes in the Soufriere Hills Volcano.
The May 20, 2006 Dome Collapse We woke early as is our habit. It was raining and there was thunder in the distance; or at least we thought it was thunder. Heavy rain poured down and the distant rumblings came not just from the Centre Hills above us, but also from the direction of the volcano and we soon realized that Soufriere was involved. Small rocks pelted our tin roof, fell in our pool and the surrounding gardens. Soon there was the sound of rain on the roof, but nothing ran off the edge. What was falling from the sky was mud. Heavy and very wet, it took a while to flow down the roof's pitch and off the edge. When it did, it was dark brown mud. We crossed the living room from the deck to the front of the house so many times it is hard to remember; each time trying to fix in our minds what was happening. Tears came as I saw our tenderly cared for plants wilt under the weight and acidity of the ash. Maybe it can also be said that when the power went off and the phone turned back decades from tone into pulse, we felt especially isolated and vulnerable. We have a radio, but never thought about batteries for a power outage so we were in our home with no contact or news of what was happening. These are a few of the pictures we took that day when we said "Let's take a look" and got on the road. If you would like to see our photos of The May 20 Soufriere Volcano Dome Collapse click here. June
30, 2006 Partial Dome Collapse
January 8 Volcanic Event
Montserrat residents Doug and Deb Darby submitted the following videos to 'youtube.' Click on either of the links below to take a look. The link
for January 7th is and for
January 8th is
VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS Partners
of the Americas (POA) United
Nations International Volunteers (UNIV)
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