Hurricane season 'could spark Montserrat volcano disaster'

The tiny territory of Montserrat has warned that a busy hurricane season could spark a disaster by toppling a volcano’s dome and unleashing a torrent of ash and lava on nearby communities.

Montserrat officials have already begun evacuating some residents near the active Soufriere Hills volcano and are setting up food and shelter areas just in case, chief minister John Osbourne said last night, on the final day of a Caribbean summit in Jamaica.

“Plans are in place to deal with any disaster that comes,” Osbourne said. “We are preparing now, hopefully it doesn’t happen.”

Weather experts are predicting the Caribbean will see a busier than average hurricane season, which officially began on June 1 and ends on November 30.

The volcano’s lava dome last collapsed in 1997, killing 19 people.

Osbourne said strong gusts and rain could cause the dome to cave in again, showering surrounding areas with pyroclastic flows.

The volcano began erupting in 1995, covering the island’s southern half with rock and ash, destroying the old airport and capital, Plymouth, and forcing more than half of the population to flee.

Only 4,500 people live on the island, but many are elderly or very young and 37% are employed, officials said.