Montserrat - Volcano, Exclusion Zone, Transport

Volcano, Exclusion Zone, Transport

In July 1995, Montserrat's Soufrière Hills volcano, dormant for centuries, rumbled to life and began an eruption which eventually buried the island's capital, Plymouth, in more than 12 metres (39 ft) of mud, destroyed its airport and docking facilities, and rendered the southern part of the island (the "exclusion zone") uninhabitable and not safe to travel in. The southern part of the island was evacuated and visits are severely restricted. The exclusion zone also includes two sea areas adjacent to the land areas that have seen the most volcanic activity.

Following the destruction of Plymouth, more than half of the population left the island because of the economic disruption and lack of housing. After a period of regular eruptive events during the late 1990s, including one on June 25, 1997 in which nineteen people died when they were overtaken by a pyroclastic flow, subsequently for a number of years the volcano's activity consisted mostly of infrequent ventings of ash into the uninhabited areas in the south. The ash falls occasionally extended into the northern and western parts of the island.

The most recent period of increased activity at the Soufrière Hills volcano, from November 2009 through February 2010, saw ash venting, a vulcanian explosion which sent pyroclastic flows down several sides of the mountain, and on February 11, 2010 a partial collapse of the lava dome that sent a column of ash more than 20,000 feet (6,100 m) into the air, raining down on several nearby islands including Guadeloupe and Antigua. Since 2010, the volcano has been relatively quiet.

Despite the volcanic activity, a large part of Montserrat remains lush and green. In February 2005, The Princess Royal officially opened a new airport at Gerald's in the north (renamed the John A. Osborne Airport); As of 2011 it handles several flights daily operated by Fly Montserrat Airways. Docking facilities are in place at Little Bay, where a new capital town is being constructed. The new government centre is at Brades, a short distance away.

The people of Montserrat were granted full residency rights in the United Kingdom in 1998, and British citizenship was granted in 2002.

A deadly Fly Montserrat Airways crash occurred Sunday, 7 October 2012, killing the pilot and two passengers. A combination of engine failure and tainted fuel have been blamed, a preliminary report revealed.