The public is advised to not visit the volcano until an update is given. La Soufriere, located near the northern tip of the main island of St Vincent, last erupted in , and a previous eruption in killed some 1, people. Mount Pelee is also active once again. In early December, officials in the French Caribbean territory issued a yellow alert due to seismic activity under the mountain.
That year, the capital Plymouth was evacuated for the final time - abandoned to become slowly buried under repeated mudflows - and a state of emergency declared. Today, Soufriere remains one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The population has plummeted from 11, to 5, with the south of the island divided into five zones. Permission to access them is dependent on the current hazard level. Over the years, businesses have rebuilt in the north, municipal offices have relocated to Brades and the government has created new housing at Lookout, Davy Hill, Shinlands, Drummonds and Sweeneys.
Despite the gases and ash falls - which occasionally reach as far as Antigua - Montserrat's stoic inhabitants largely go about their business unperturbed, refusing to be defined as living on the precipice of peril. Tourists are politely told that "Montserrat is not a volcano; it has a volcano" and assured that the north remains entirely safe, with Soufriere under round-the-clock monitoring by a purpose-built observatory. As is often the way in the aftermath of disaster, the close-knit community has forged stronger bonds than ever.
Crime is a rarity, front doors are unlocked, songs of hope and healing, solidarity and unity, are ubiquitous. These days, the "emerald isle" is carving a niche for itself in adventure tourism with holidaymakers attracted to its "black sand" beaches and the allure of experiencing a modern-day Pompeii.
In the ruined Montserrat Springs hotel - once one of the island's finest - visitors can scrabble through the ash into the reception where paperwork still sits on the desk and into bedrooms where curtains hang against wrecked walls. From the side of the ravaged swimming pool, Plymouth is visible just east of a huge fissure which appears in the desolate landscape like a jaw wide open in astonishment. Veronica Hickson's house is one of the few in Plymouth that's not completely buried.
Veta Wade came back. She never could get used to the cold. She was just a teenager when her country was thrown into a crisis. But year after year, she never got used to the cold, and came back to Montserrat permanently in Delbert Williams, a year-old police officer who moved with his family to St. Vincent during the eruptions, returned in at the age of But at least it does have a future — a fact that seemed uncertain as its capital burned, as residents like Leonara John were moved into crowded shelters, and as young people like Veta Wade were sent to England.
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