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Over
the past decade, the island of Montserrat has come to be identified
with a major disaster risk: the volcanic activity of the Soufriere
Hills volcano. After having been dormant for more than 400 years,
this volcano first erupted on July 18, 1995, following a three-year
period of precursor seismic activity. Earthquakes have occurred
on several occasions during the last century (during the 1890s,
the 1930s and the 1960s) and they have generally been interpreted
as failed eruptions. The last decade, however, seems to have
initiated a whole new period of activity.
Montserrat is only 16 km long and 10 km wide
and is built almost exclusively of volcanic rocks. The island
has been formed by three separate volcanic massifs: the Silver
Hills, the Centre Hills and the Soufriere Hills and South
Soufriere Hills. The current activity of the Soufriere Hills
has showed a cycle of periods of extrusion and growth of the
lava dome, and explosions and collapses of the dome. In a
June 1997 eruption, 19 people were killed, the capital Plymouth
was evacuated and the southern half of the island was devastated
and designated as an exclusion zone. About two thirds of the
population of 11,000 was forced to relocate to the northern
half of the island, to other Eastern Caribbean nations, the
UK and the US. The collapse of the lava dome on 12 July 2003
was the largest event in the entire eruption. It produced
major pyroclastic flows that entered the sea, a pyroclastic
surge that covered the north eastern flank of the volcano,
a tsunami that reached Guadeloupe and a series of explosions.
Up to 15 cm of ash was deposited over the western part of
the island.
The government has been relocated to the north
of the island, and, with international support, has been facing
the challenge of living with risk head on. In 1997, the Emergency
Department was created. In the aftermath of hurricane Hugo
of 1989, which represents another serious hazard to the island,
and then of the volcanic activity and the subsequent destruction
of constructions that had just been rebuilt after the hurricane,
the need for such an institution had become painfully clear.
The Department is multi-sectoral and includes representatives
from the ministries in charge of the various Utilities, agriculture,
land use and planning, health, environment, education, development
planning and finance. In 1999, the Disaster Preparedness and
Response Act came into force, further strengthening the Emergency
Department. In 2005, the Emergency Department was renamed
the Disaster Management Coordination Agency (DMCA) to better
reflect its role and function in promoting comprehensive disaster
management.
The
government is involved in all levels of disaster preparedness,
prevention and mitigation. In 2003, an island wide vulnerability
assessment was completed, resulting in GIS-based multi-hazard
maps. Natural hazard assessments as well as environmental
impact assessments have to be included for development projects
to be approved. Vulnerability assessments have been completed
for all critical infrastructures. Disaster risk information
is routinely disseminated through the Government Information
Unit and the media. An Information and Education Officer is
responsible for public information campaigns and educational
programs. Disaster risk education exists at both primary and
secondary school level. Contingency plans are regularly rehearsed,
and the general public seems prepared and ready to evacuate
at all times. District Disaster Committees are responsible
for plans at the community level, and response plans at all
levels are generally reviewed and updated annually. Apart
from community level evacuation plans, there is also an evacuation
plan for the entire island: Operation Exodus. Due to the continued
activity of the volcano, most plans have been tested and revised
following real-life threats.
An important feature of volcanic early warning and research
is the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. Established in 1995
by various national and international scientists, it was designated
a statutory authority of the Government of Montserrat in 1999.
Since 2003, it is housed in a purpose-built Observatory 6
km north-west of the volcano. It is managed by the British
Geological Survey under a contract with The Government of
Montserrat. Its overall policy and objectives are determined
by a Board of Directors, which is co-chaired by the Governor
and the Chief Minister of the Government of Montserrat.
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