Stories of People and Nature Around the World

I’ll never forget the day I saw the volcano. A once bustling capital lies in ruins below it. Looking up, clouds cover its top and seem to muffle the rumbling still going on inside. It has been 18 years since the eruption, but many more years must pass before it will be safe for people to settle here again.

The island of Montserrat, once a bustling Caribbean tourist destination, is now quiet and home to few residents. The Soufriere Hills volcano destroyed the southern half of the island in 1995, forcing its residents to either leave the island, or move to the previously undeveloped north. Raymond, our friend and guide, has been living here for over 50 years. Despite the devastation and the danger lurking to the south, he tells us that the people of Montserrat have learned to co-exist with the volcano. He offers to take us to see it.

Before entering the southern half of the island, we must check in with the police for permission to enter the “restricted zone”. As we bump along the dirt roads, gradually getting closer to the Soufriere Hills, we detect the scent of Sulfur from the still active volcano. The dust on the road turns into ash as we finally come to the ruins of the old capital. Once a thriving city overlooking beautiful beaches and tropical mountains, Plymouth is now a pile of mud, ash and rubble. I get chills as I remember the power of nature.

Raymond stops in front of a modest grey house covered in ash from the pyroclastic surges unleashed by the volcano. The shutters hang crooked from the windows, the door has been torn off by blasts of lava, and weeds now cover the walkways. This was Raymond’s home before the eruption. Teary eyed he exclaims, “She is still standing”! He was 27 years old when he built this house. It was here he got married, and witnessed the birth of his three children. This is the first time he has come back since the blast. He explains, “It’s not the house, I don’t really care about the house. After the volcano destroyed everything, most people had no choice but to leave. Seeing these ruins reminds me of all the people that I lost. My friends, my family, even my children left the island. If the volcano hadn’t happened, we might still be together.”

In spite of the devastation, the island has flourished. Out of the ash has come new growth fertilized by the volcanic minerals, and with it, new beginnings. Before driving home Raymond stops and remarks “Eventually the land will heal, and then the people will come back”.