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Plymouth (Montserrat). Soufriere Hills eruption: abandoned city of Plymouth Plymouth Island

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Since July 1995, there have been a series of powerful eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano, sending lava and ash over large areas of southern Montserrat, including Plymouth. It became obvious that the city, whose population numbered about 4,000 people, was in danger. On August 21, 1995, ash fell on Plymouth and residents were evacuated in December. A few months later they were allowed to return, but on June 25, 1997, powerful eruption 19 people were killed and pyroclastic material almost reached the airport. Plymouth was evacuated again. On August 4-8, another series of eruptions destroyed about 80% of the city, burying it under a layer of ash 1.4 m thick. The erupted pyroclastic material was highly viscous, so cleaning it up required explosives, bulldozers and other resources too expensive for widespread use in excavations . The city was abandoned and the southern part of the island was declared a closed area. More than ⅔ of the population left the island. The government of Montserrat has moved to Brades, but Plymouth still remains the de jure administrative centre.

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Excerpt characterizing Plymouth (Montserrat)

And then I saw Magdalene again... People were sitting around her. They were of different ages - young and old, all without exception long-haired, dressed in simple dark blue clothes. Magdalene was dressed in white, with her hair flowing over her shoulders, covering her with a wonderful golden cloak. The room in which they were all at that moment resembled the work of a crazy architect who embodied his most amazing dream in frozen stone...

As I later found out, the cave is indeed called Cathedral and still exists.
Caves of Longrives, Languedoc

It was a cave like a majestic Cathedral... which, by a strange whim, for some reason nature built there. The height of this “cathedral” reached incredible proportions, carried straight “into the sky” by amazing, “crying” stone icicles, which, somewhere above, merged into a miraculous pattern, and again fell down, hovering right above the heads of those sitting... Natural lighting in the cave , of course, it wasn’t. Also, the candles were not burning, and the weak daylight, as usual, did not seep through the cracks. But despite this, a pleasant and uniform golden glow softly spread throughout the entire unusual “hall”, coming from nowhere and allowing free communication and even reading...
The people sitting around Magdalena very intently and carefully watched Magdalena’s outstretched arms. Suddenly, a bright golden glow began to appear between her palms, which, becoming more and more dense, began to condense into a huge bluish ball, which hardened before our eyes until it became like... a planet!..
“North, what is this?..” I whispered in surprise. – This is our Earth, isn’t it?
But he only smiled in a friendly manner, without answering or explaining anything. And I continued to look in fascination at the amazing woman, in whose hands the planets were so simply and easily “born”!.. I had never seen the Earth from the outside, only in drawings, but for some reason I was absolutely sure that it was her. And at this time a second planet had already appeared, then another... and another... They circled around Magdalena, as if magical, and she calmly, with a smile, explained something to the audience, seemingly not getting tired at all and not paying attention to surprised faces, as if she was talking about something ordinary and everyday. I understood - she taught them astronomy!.. For which even in my time they did not “pat” on the head, and for which one could still just as easily end up straight in the fire... And Magdalena playfully taught this even then - for five hundred long years ago!!!
The vision disappeared. And I, completely stunned, could not wake up to ask Sever my next question...

The eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano in 1995 can hardly be called global. It did not cause climate change or other global disasters, but for the inhabitants of the island of Montserrat it became a turning point and changed their lives forever. Thousands of people living in Plymouth were forced to leave their homeland, fleeing to escape the hot pyroclastic flows, and their city turned into a ghost, covered with a layer of ash and volcanic debris.

Soufriere Hills eruption 1995-1997

The Soufriere Hills volcano rises in the southern part of the island of Montserrat and has a huge crater about 1 km wide. Over the years of its history, it has been active more than once, but around 1550 it fell asleep for many 500 years. People got used to his inaction and began to settle in the fertile lands stretching at the foot of the giant. Over time, it grew near Soufriere Hills small town Plymouth, which had a population of about 4,000 in 1995.

At the end of the 19th and mid-20th centuries, seismic activity was observed on the island, but the volcano continued to sleep peacefully. That all changed in 1992, when Plymouth residents began regularly experiencing small earthquakes. Until mid-1995, 18 series of tremors were recorded in Montserrat, which suddenly stopped on July 18.

On that day, the first ash column erupted from the volcano, the roar caused glass to rattle in the houses of Plymouth, and pyroclastic flows rolled down the slopes. Fortunately for the population, the hot avalanches of gas and ash could not reach the city, so all the people survived and were evacuated in a timely manner. A few weeks after the last person left Plymouth, the city was engulfed by gigantic pyroclastic flows, burying houses on the outskirts under meters of debris.

On August 21, 1995, phreatic explosions began on the volcano and did not stop for 18 weeks. After this, Soufrière Hills fell silent, the residents of Plymouth were allowed to return to their homes, but on June 25, 1997, the volcano collapsed under its own weight and produced a gigantic explosion that raised a column of ash to a height of 15 km. At that moment, a plane flew next to him, the passengers of which were able to take stunning photographs of the ash column.

As a result of this explosion, 19 people were killed in Plymouth; a pyroclastic flow that descended from the slopes completely destroyed the city airport. A second evacuation began. Between August 4 and August 8, 1997, a series of other eruptions occurred that destroyed 80% of the city. Volcanic materials had a high viscosity; cleaning the streets required too expensive equipment and a lot of effort. As a result, Plymouth was completely abandoned, and the southern part of the island of Montserrat was declared a restricted area.

Montserrat today

Soufriere Hills eruption continues to this day. Since 1995, 2/3 of the inhabitants (about 7,000 people) have left Montserrat. Most of the evacuees headed to the UK, never returning to their home island. The destruction of Plymouth caused serious economic problems, as it was the only town on Montserrat where all the shops and service industries were located. The volcano seriously hit the tourism industry, destroyed crop lands and livestock. Livestock went wild and still lives among the forests and plains.

At first, tourists came to the destroyed city, but for security reasons the government completely closed access to it. Now you can only look at the ruins from the sea, and even then boats are not allowed to stop in the area of the volcano, since pyroclastic flows can unexpectedly descend from its slopes. The remaining 5,000 thousand people live on the other side of Montserrat. Every house has a radio, through which you can hear an evacuation signal at any time. In short, the local population is well acquainted with the concept of “living like on a volcano,” but does not give up hope that sooner or later their island will be reborn again.

Before my trip to Montserrat, I was sure that volcanoes kill, if not with lava, then with earthquakes. But with a close acquaintance with Montserrat, the Soufriere Hills volcano and the destroyed Plymouth, you have to learn about pyroclastic flows. The magma here is not hot enough to reach the liquid surface and spill out into lava, so the cooling magma clogs the vent, forming something like a champagne cork. While the eruption continues, the clogged dome is supported by lava from below, the dome grows, and sooner or later an explosion occurs, the top of the volcano flies into the air and falls down, forming a pyroclastic flow - a mixture of volcanic gas, superheated steam, ash and solidified lava (from stones the size of 5 -storey building to ordinary sand). The stream, heated to 500°C, rushes down at a speed of 100 km/h, destroying, of course, everything. Vesuvius, which destroyed Pompeii, and Eyjafjallajökull, which froze European airspace, erupted in the same way. The last time Soufriere Hills raged was in February 2010. Boulders of cooling magma can be seen rolling down the slopes of the volcano. During the day, the lava looks black. But on a clear night, if the clouds do not cover the top of the volcano and the cloud of sulfur oxides is blown away by the wind, it is noticeable that the erupting rocks are still very hot.

Previously, at the foot of the volcano there was quite a brilliant Caribbean Plymouth. Soufriere Hills slept for 400 years and suddenly woke up 15 years ago, in 1995, to completely change the life of the island, destroying its capital and only city (now there is not a single city or town on the island that resembles a city - a solid “one-story America” ). The population dropped from 13,000 to 5,000 (there were almost no deaths, people left the island during evacuation or on their own, but many did not return: housing was destroyed and the tourist-oriented economy fell into disrepair).

And this is Plymouth today. Soufriere Hills, obscured by fumes, in the background. People abandoned the city in 1997, after a series of eruptions.

Some years ago it was still possible to get to Plymouth by land, and visiting the destroyed city became a ritual for locals (for whom the loss of the capital, most of the country’s real estate and almost the entire tourism business is a national tragedy) and an attraction for tourists. These days things have become stricter and viewing Plymouth from a boat or helicopter is the only legal option left. On a boat you can get quite close, but you cannot stop.

Visits are closed due to the danger of pyroclastic flows: once the eruption has begun, then with a flow speed of 100 km/h it will not be possible to escape from it. In 1997, 19 people died this way.

To ensure that no one breaks this rule, the banks are patrolled by police. By the way, the police, like everywhere else in the post-British world, are “checkered.”

Since then, the volcano has been erupting intermittently, but people have somehow learned to live next to it. The island has a volcanic observatory, the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which constantly measures volcanic activity, and a sophisticated civil defense system. Montserrat is divided into zones marked with letters (A, B, ...) with different statuses; the observatory, based on observations, assigns a “danger level” from 1 to 5 (currently the “danger level” is 3). Depending on the “level of danger”, certain activities are allowed or prohibited in different zones: somewhere you can live and do whatever you want, fearing only ash falling from the sky and Caribbean cyclones; somewhere you can live for those who already live, but be prepared to evacuate; No one except specialists is allowed to be somewhere. Every house usually has a silent, battery-powered radio, through which an evacuation alert can be transmitted at any time - in a sense, an analogue of our radio point (whose main purpose, as we know, is civil defense and emergency alerts). Most of the island (zone V), regardless of the level of danger, is closed to normal human life Always.

The small Caribbean island of Montserrat overseas territory Great Britain - until 1995 he lived his calm and measured life. Until in 1995, the Soufriere Hills volcano complex (from the French Soufriere - “sulfur”, English Hills - “hills”), which had been dormant since the 17th century, woke up here. During the eruption, pyroclastic flows destroyed the capital, the city of Plymouth and 20 others. settlements. 2/3 of the population were forced to leave Montserrat, and half of the island became an exclusion zone. It is expected that this area will be uninhabited for at least another 10 years...

Archival photographs of the ghost island.

The island of Montserrat is only 16 km long and 10 km wide. There are four volcanic centers (massifs) of different ages on the island: Silver Hills, Center Hills, active volcano Soufriere Hills, South Soufriere Hills.

Until 1995, 11,000 people lived on the island of Montserrat. When pyroclastic flows and mudflows became regular, the capital Plymouth was evacuated, and a few weeks later the city was covered in several meters of ash. 2/3 of the population, i.e. 7,000 inhabitants were forced to leave the island of Montserrat. (AP Photo | John McConnico):

The eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano began on July 18, 1995 and was the first since the 17th century. A major eruption on June 25, 1997 resulted in the death of 19 people. The island's airport was in the path of the main flow and was completely destroyed.

This is Plymouth, the former capital of Montserrat. Now it's a ghost town. Photo taken on August 21, 1997. (Reuters Photo | Colin Braley):

The Soufriere Hills volcano is 915 meters high and is composed primarily of andesite. The crater, formed about 4 thousand years ago during the collapse of the peak, has a diameter of 1 km; the peak consists of several volcanic domes. Current activity consists of a period of dome growth and short dome collapses that lead to pyroclastic flows, ash emissions and explosive eruptions.

Seismic activity on the island was observed in 1897-1898, 1933-1937 and 1966-1967, but the eruption that began on July 18, 1995 was the first since the 17th century. When pyroclastic flows and mudflows became regular, Plymouth was evacuated, and a few weeks later the city was covered in several meters of ash. A major eruption on June 25, 1997 resulted in the death of 19 people. The island's airport was in the path of the main flow and was completely destroyed. Tourism industry Montserrat suffered greatly, but then began to recover, in part due to assistance from Great Britain.

A major volcanic eruption occurred on July 28, 2008, with no previous activity. The ends of the pyroclastic flows reached Plymouth. The height of the eruptive column was estimated at 12 km above sea level. On February 11, 2010, the volcano's dome partially collapsed.

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You can often see him here: a city madman nicknamed This-not-me stands for a long time, staring at the solidified lava and piles of stones that have rolled all the way to the Caribbean Sea. Roofs stick out from the gray mass of the mudflow, like the wreckage of a sinking ship. Over there you can see a turret with a spire - it was once a church.

Silence. Ruin. The wind is sweeping dust. Since the Soufriere Hills volcano awoke from a 400-year slumber in 1995, Plymouth, the former capital of the Caribbean island of Montserrat, has been nothing but memories. Over the course of several years, the raging volcano displaced the islanders from most of the land.

Rocky debris is piled up in the Cash Hall of the BarVVVklys Bank. It's as if the giants played bowls here and left. Through the empty eye sockets of Plymouth houses you can peer into abandoned dwellings. A layer of ash several centimeters thick lies on phones, sofas, and televisions. There is a pile of unwashed dishes in the kitchen sink. There is a pink hat lying on the bed. It seems that the owner has just gone to the store.

But she won't come back. As did the 5,000 people who had to leave Plymouth. In 1996, the last residents were evacuated from here. And in 1997, the city was covered with lava, and since then it has been covered in the ashes of a still active volcano.

This-not-me goes to look for the place where the spreading figs once grew - in the city center, at the very end of Church Road. In the afternoon heat, the tree generously provided shade. Under its crown there were tables and benches - the local Fish & Chips eatery. And in the evenings, when a cool breeze blew from the sea, cheerful companies gathered here. There is no better place for liming.

“Laimin” in local language means “casual conversation.” It comes from “lime,” which is the name of a type of lemon. The word dates back to the days when slaves worked on sugar cane and lime tree plantations. Sugar and limes have always been Montserrat's main export.

The most enjoyable activity for the slaves was sorting and peeling the limes. You sit in the shade and chat about this and that.

So the residents of Plymouth exchanged news and gossip under the fig tree - the evergreen tree attracted everyone to itself. So they said: “See you under the tree!” They assigned it to everyone favorite place, It-is-not-me had it too. Nobody drove him away, although he spoke all sorts of nonsense. Nobody was angry that he shot cigarettes or begged for money for a glass of rum. And it never occurred to anyone to call him a worthless person on the grounds that he wears dirty clothes.

Under the shade of the fig trees, the islanders' self-esteem grew. A sense of community was maturing, a need to take care of one’s own kind, a feeling of freedom, which here was expressed in the fact that the doors of the houses on the island were always wide open: you are truly free only when you completely trust your neighbor.

This-not-me lived in a barracks not far from the bank. He wasn't always crazy, but why he was crazy is unclear. Fearing his own delusional speeches, he blurted out to everyone he met: “It’s not me!” That's where the nickname came from, and everyone has long forgotten his real name - William Daly.

Now William's refuge is a nursing home in the northern, safe part of the island. But from time to time he visits here, in the forbidden zone, and wanders through the ruins. “It's over,” he mutters. The wind blows from the volcano and swirls a sulfuric stench over his hometown.

Memories, longing for the past, and history - that’s all that remains in Plymouth. For example, the story of Jerry Hall, then not yet the wife, but the girlfriend of the famous Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. One day at a disco she started hitting on Danny Sweeney, the owner of the Jumping Jack’s bar on west coast islands where there are the most tourists. Danny Sweeney was the most handsome guy on the island, and even now, at 56 years old, he looks good: pumped up muscles, dark glasses, lush hair, almost untouched by gray hair. It's understandable why Jerry Hall couldn't resist the temptation to dance with him. And even in front of her future husband. However, he didn't care.

Photo 1. An aerial view of the remains of the capital city of Plymouth after another eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, August 20, 1997. (AP Photo | Kevin West):

“But Margaret couldn’t stand it and attacked Jerry. Like, get out of here, this is my man!” - Sweeney says, nodding towards his wife. Margaret clears the dishes from five small tables, then, having counted the day's earnings on the veranda, shouts to someone in the humid tropical night: “Good night!” And turns off the light.

Half past nine. There's not a soul in the bar. Or maybe it was before - the noise, the din, it was impossible to push through. All that can be heard from the street is the croaking of tree frogs and the whining of mosquitoes. And the sound of the nearby sea. Nobody walks along the shore at night anymore. As darkness falls, the islanders go home. But there are only a few tourists in Montserrat.

Montserrat's golden age began in the 1960s when an American businessman visited the volcanic islet between Antigua and Guadeloupe. He immediately realized what a tourist spot was missing. Although at first glance, what kind of tourism is there! Well, yes, the hills are covered with grass, but the coast is black and bare - no palm trees, nothing. However, the businessman purchased a strip of coastline, divided it into plots with sea views and built a golf course. And then he started advertising in newspapers: “The Caribbean as it once was!”

Montserrat at that time remained simply a remote colony of Great Britain, a land of unafraid birds. The inhabitants - most of them descendants of African slaves - were content with what they caught in the sea and what grew in the garden beds, and on Sundays they sang psalms in church. It was this free atmosphere that appealed to those who are called here “winter birds” - wealthy pensioners from North America, which go to warmer climes in winter.

The Americans came and built their own houses, which means that local residents a job appeared, money came in.

Then George Martin, the former Beatles producer, came here. In 1979, he built a recording studio, Air Studios Montserrat, at the foot of the volcano. Who has not worked within its walls - the Rolling Stones and Dire Straits, Elton John, Eric Clapton... The Police group recorded the album Every Breath You Take here, and Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder - the hit Ebony and Ivory. In short, world celebrities frequent Montserrat.

Sweeney taught members of the Jet-Set group the intricacies of windsurfing. Singer Sting went out with him, the son of a poor fisherman, into the sea to catch barracudas. At night, rock stars sat in the same La Cave bar where Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall went to the disco. Until the summer of 1995, things on the island were going nowhere better. On July 18, Sweeney picked up his new boat from customs in Plymouth, put it on a trailer and drove it home. Suddenly he heard a roar - as if a Boeing was falling right on him. A black cloud hung over the volcano. Ash fell in thick flakes, like black snow. Sweeney was not so much afraid as surprised. The giant had been sleeping for many centuries. “So he’ll soon fall asleep again,” Sweeney thought then.

But five weeks later, Soufriere Hills showed signs of life again. A river of cooled ash crawled through the streets of Plymouth, penetrating into houses. The governor ordered the evacuation of townspeople and homeowners from the southern part of the island to the almost deserted, safe north. Some found shelter with friends, others were placed in churches and schools, and some slept in their cars. After two weeks, everyone was allowed to return.

On November 30, 1995, volcanologists noticed a lava dome at the edge of the crater - usually this indicates that the danger of an eruption is very high. The evacuation began again. And again, having stopped on the northern shore, the southerners returned to their homes. After these ordeals, they no longer believed that the volcano would ever “work” for real.

This happened on March 29, 1996 - the volcano exploded in earnest. Lava flowed into the valley, consisting of boiling ash and gases heated to 800 ° C. Fortunately, its flow passed Plymouth. Again people were evacuated, and again the residents leaving took with them only the essentials. After all, they thought that they would definitely return.

For three months, Montserratians hoped that the division of the island into a northern safe zone and a southern restricted zone (more than half of Montserrat) was a temporary phenomenon. After all, all life was concentrated in the south: administrative center, villages, country villas of Americans, golf courses. But they never received permission to return.

Photo 2. This photo was taken 15 years later, on May 24, 2012. Plymouth ghost town Caribbean island Montserrat. (Photo by Pat Hawks):

On June 25, 1997, pyroclastic flows - a mixture of hot gas and rock debris - reached the airport and villages in the center and east of the island. 19 residents died - those who did not wait for permission and returned to the restricted area. On August 3, the first avalanche flowed towards Plymouth. It destroyed the city center, melted abandoned cars and killed last hope to return.

The government in London helped the islanders resettle in the UK. Within a few months, most Montserratians had left the island. This-not-me is the last resident of the dead Plymouth. Again and again at night he sneaks into the restricted area, to his barracks next to Barclays Bank. And during the day he wanders among the ruins, accompanied by dogs who miss a person.

One day, volcanologists examined a city buried under lava and mud flows. Having snuck into his barracks for the night, This-is-not-me heard them talking among themselves - they say that the city has turned from a “Caribbean pearl” into a “tropical Pompeii.” Just in case case It's not me hid. After all, not only scientists, but also dark personalities from neighboring islands visited Plymouth to loot the surviving houses on the edge of the city.

And one night he heard a noise in the bank and called the police from the north. "Poltergeist, poltergeist!" - the poor fellow screamed. The police laughed, but still came. And it turned out that a million dollars had disappeared from the bank safe. True, Caribbean. The robbers were caught.

I'm not the only one who saw with my own eyes how Plymouth was drowning in a mudslide - centimeter by centimeter, year after year. In bad weather, new streams of mud rushed from the mountain, and after each gas release, “black snow” - ash - fell on the city.

One day, the streets of Marinedrive, George Street, Parliament Street disappeared... They turned into dry riverbeds filled with mud and boulders. And the long pier of Plymouth, where luxury ships once moored ocean liners, became shorter every day, because the coast continued to crumble into the sea, and nothing could stop the destruction.

The level of mud flow was judged by the most noticeable landmarks - a red telephone booth brought from England and a clock tower standing on concrete pillars - a monument to the inhabitants of Montserrat who died during the Second World War. The booth was submerged in a mudflow at the beginning of 1999, the tower survived until the spring of 2004. The clock hands stopped forever at half past twelve.

“Good morning, Montserrat! local time- Six o’clock in the morning!” This is Rose Willock starting her daily show Listen Here! Lately, her news has been encouraging: “According to updated data received today from the Volcanological Observatory of Montserrat, our volcano currently emits only 300 tons of sulfur dioxide per day. Do you remember the times when he threw out more than 1000 tons? The crater no longer forms a dome. This means that the probability of an eruption has dropped by as much as 60 percent!”

Rose plays the recording. “Every little t’ing gonna be all right,” Bob Marley sings to the listeners of Radio ZJB, the only station on Montserrat. Rose Willock takes off her headphones and pulls a white baseball cap over her African braids. A beautiful woman in her forties, energetic and in love with her island.

Rose's mission is to support and protect Montserrat. She first took the initiative in 1989. Then Hurricane Hugo knocked down figs at a favorite meeting place for townspeople. The administration ordered it to be cut down and taken away, but the tree had not yet died. “You need the tree, and it needs you! - Rose called out to the residents of Plymouth. “Then go and save him!” They did not allow the tree to be cut. And, having been knocked down, it continued to grow, even the crown became more magnificent than before.

When the volcano woke up, Rose found a way to strengthen the morale of the islanders: do not think about sad things, do not talk about bad things, and even find positive moments in bad news. Like that Ash Monday, August 21, 1995. During the broadcast, one of the technicians burst into the studio shouting: “Vulcan!” Rose ran outside and saw a huge black cloud heading straight towards her. There was panic on the streets, people ran to their cars. The day suddenly became darker than the night.

Unconscious, Rose crawled back into the studio. She calmed down, cleared her throat and said: “So, let’s continue the program! I know everyone is very scared right now. This is understandable; nothing like this has ever happened to us. I hope you are not alone right now. If there is someone close to you, take their hand. Talk to each other! Cry! I can't tell you how long this night will last. But I know it will pass. And nothing bad will happen to anyone!”

However, there were days when even such an optimist as Rose Willock could not find any positive in what was happening. The exodus began: about two-thirds of Montserratians moved to Britain. By the end of 1997, only 3,381 people remained on the island. The government in London stated that if the number of citizens dropped to 2,500 people, the colony would be administrative unit will have to be abolished.

But the islanders turned out to be tough nuts to crack: for ten years after the disaster, those remaining on Montserrat believed in its bright future, and their faith was fueled every day by Rose Willock.

She repeats the old advertising slogan: “The Caribbean as it once was!” Rose insists that Montserrat is still the same, because the islanders have not changed: they are the same peace-loving, honest people. If someone lost a wallet, then soon the ZJB radio broadcast: the loss has been found, come. So on the back of the island telephone book it is printed: “Montserrat. Still good, still our home.”

60-year-old Benett Roach is also fighting for the future of his island - he publishes the newspaper The Montserrat Reporter. 12 pages on cheap paper. George Bush wants to strip 292 refugees from Montserrat of their US residency permits? British Prime Minister Tony Blair again refused money for housing construction on the island? Roach responds with a furious editorial in which he denounces Montserrat's ill-wishers. He is the main publicist Chief Editor, chief artist and typesetter rolled into one. And at the same time a distributor of his publication.

Alas, there is no longer an evergreen tree on the island, the very one that fostered a sense of comradeship in people. The islanders are fenced off from each other by car cabins, because now there is no time to get anywhere on foot: a new bank building was rebuilt on the hill, the Angelo supermarket is in the valley, a complex of administrative buildings is somewhere off to the side, a police station, a post office and a landing stage pier, where the ferry from Antigua docks is in the north of the island. A the best place on a slope overlooking the sea (there used to be villas for American pensioners) occupied by a new prison. Through the efforts of twenty-one of its “guests,” the tower-monument to those killed in the Second World War was restored. They rebuilt it and placed it on the road. You won't notice it right away.

There are 4,500 people living in the safe zone in the north. But more than half of them are immigrants doing jobs that locals don't want to do: patching potholes or sweeping away volcanic ash. They are also needed to ensure that the number of residents of the colony does not fall below 2,500 people. And there are just under 2,000 native islanders left. They live on benefits issued by London.

Most refugees settled in London, Leicester and Manchester.

It happens that displaced people call the studio. This is what Stanley Pope Kilman Dyer did in December 2004. Everyone who comes from Montserrat knows this name. Dyer won the junior music festival"Calypso" before the volcano forced everyone to leave. While abroad he was diagnosed with cancer. Chemotherapy didn't help. He called to say goodbye to his friends and to sing a song he had composed in honor of Montserrat. It was called "The Last Dance Before I Go."

Church in the center of the ghost town of Plymouth, August 28, 1997. The entire area in the area is covered with volcanic ash. (AP Photo | John McConnico):

Dyer hoped to the last to come for Christmas to the place where he was born and raised. It is a diaspora tradition to gather for the Montserrat Christmas Festival with its carnivals and music competitions. The annual arrival of refugees is proof of the unity of the islanders. This is more than just homesickness.

“Our future,” says Reuben Mead, “begins when we part with the past.” The former Chief Minister of Montserrat came to show us around Plymouth. And now he silently wanders among the ruins. In the two years that he had not been here, the courthouse had almost completely sunk into dirt. The gray stream has reached the clock dial on the pediment - the numbers 4 and 8 are still visible, but the 6, 5 and 7 are no longer there.

But the old administration building still stands. Reuben Mead worked there before the eruption. In order not to sit idly by, he went up to the crater with volcanologists every morning, and in the evening he informed the people of the news on the radio.

One day he saw yellow butterflies fluttering over the slope and announced to the people: “Believe me, this is a sign that the volcano will calm down soon!” The prediction did not come true. He was never re-elected for a new term.

What does Mead miss most about the island's past life? "Nothing. The Montserrat I aspire to is in the future.” The athletically fit politician and investor in the construction sector, who is in his fifties, looks far ahead when talking about the future: “Montserrat needs new town. The place where it can be built is called Little Bay. The ferry from Antigua is docking there now.”

And we can build a marina if London gives money. A new airfield has already been opened in the center of the northern part of the island, and a golf course has been laid in the western part. They poured a whole plain out of the ashes that had accumulated over ten years. Tourists with golf clubs will soon flock to Montserrat again. And in Plymouth - not a bad idea! - you can open an open-air museum of volcanology.

Will this appeal to islanders who are homesick for their old town? Reuben Mead says: “People have been grieving for so long because no one got to say goodbye to the city because of the evacuation. Plymouth was like home to us. It was our custom to hold a civil funeral service for every deceased person, so that all the townspeople would come to say goodbye to him.”

Once Mead brought his father here to say goodbye to the ruins. He stood there, bowed his head, crossed himself and said: “Come on, everything is fine now.”

Now farewell to Plymouth and the southern part of the island, which is under the power of a volcano, has turned into a kind of healing ritual. On Fridays, the Montserrat administration rents a ferry to Antigua. He goes around the island. Hundreds of Montserratians stand at the railings and look at South coast, some blink away tears.

And when they go ashore in Little Bay, on the site of the future city they will see a fig - an evergreen tree. And on the construction site next to the pier there is a poster: “Montserrat is still good, still our home.”

Road sign. IN separate parts the city was covered with a layer of ash up to 3 meters high on August 28, 1997. (AP Photo | John McConnico):

VHS store, Plymouth Island, 28 August 1997. (AP Photo | John McConnico):

The amount of volcanic ash can be gauged from this half-buried phone booth on March 2, 1998. (AP Photo | Gregory Bull):

It is already October 11, 2002. Abandoned houses on an island next to a pyroclastic flow. (Photo by AP Photo | Tomas van Houtryve):

An observation deck outside the exclusion zone of the island of Montserrat. Soufriere Hills volcano continues to be active, May 4, 2006. (AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

The ash-filled center of the ghost town of Plymouth, May 5, 2006. Almost 10 years after the Soufriere Hills volcano began to erupt. (AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

The former capital of the island, Montserrat, is almost completely buried under a thick layer of ash. Some remains of structures stick out here and there, May 5, 2006. (Photo by AP Photo | Brennan Linsley):

Satellite photo, 2010. It shows part of the runway of the local airport. (Photo by Google, Inc.):

Another photo with a view of former airport. The same place, but viewed from the ground, May 1, 2012. The economy of Montserrat, a Caribbean island, was based on tourism. (Clickable, 2500×635 px) . (Photo by Pat Hawks):