Montserrat’s Soufriére Hills Volcano

The size of Montserrat’s Soufriére Hills Volcano now stands at 1,065 meters above sea level, containing some 250 million cubic meters of volcanic material, the largest it has ever been.

This new record in dome size surpasses the previous record size, the 2003 dome at 240 million cubic meters.  This dome subsequently collapsed converting areas from south woodlands to Salem and the surrounding environment into a disaster area due to the abundance of ash deposited in these areas.  This 2003 eruption resulted in a six month clean up campaign.

The Emergency Policy Group (EPG) met last week to reassess the volcanic situation with the current dome size and growth focused to the northwestern quadrant leading into Belham Valley.  The Scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) briefed the EPG and informed them that the dome continues to grow on the western side.

The Scientific Advisory Committee’s (SAC) computer modeling revealed that additional areas in the present safe zone could be impacted by pyroclastic flows and surges.

Having considered this advice Montserrat’s emergency authorities decided that further areas needed to be evacuated and informed residents of Bishop Lane and south of the Old Towne roundabout to be prepared to move at short notice.

However EPG officials still assure residents of Salem, the biggest community nearest to the volcano, that it is unlikely that residents of Salem will be evacuated.

The unaffect residents in the northern portion of Montserrat feel great empathy for those residents living on the fringes of the evacuation zone, wondering if their turn will come.