Volcano in Paradise
Death and survival on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
Phil Davison
A gripping eyewitness story of the destruction of the beautiful Caribbean island of Montserrat in the volcanic eruptions of the late 1990s
In 1995 the paradise island of Montserrat, a tiny British Crown Colony in the Caribbean, has reggae and calypso in the air and cricket on the village greens. The new governor and police commissioner are enjoying the unique local combination of Irish and African heritage in a place where "the only crime is stealin' time". But towering over the St Patrick's Day revellers is the silent presence of Chance's Peak. If anyone ever knew it was a sleeping volcano, they have forgotten it for now. Until the mountain begins to wake... As the eruptions grow progressively worse, international experts descend on the island, trying to analyse the terrifying giant; a stream of refugees is moving the other way. Eventually the capital itself, Plymouth, is buried under burning clouds of red-hot rock and ash. Those caught in the eruptions - people, wildlife farm animals or abandoned pets -have little chance; though there are some hair's breadth escapes, there are also tragic losses. Meanwhile refugees crammed into shelters, their homes destroyed, are told by Clare Short, the British minister responsible, that "they'll be wanting golden elephants next". The story of Montserrat is a riveting tale of natural horrors and political questions, of the overwhelming power of the most terrifying of the earth's phenomena - and of the undefeated spirit of the people of this lost paradise.
Related titles
About Phil Davison Phil Davison is a journalist for The Times, the Independent and Reuters, best known for his coverage of wars, revolutions and natural disasters from East Germany, Beirut, Kosovo and Iraq to the volcanic mudslide of Armero and central America's Hurricane Mitch. In 1991 he was shot by a Serb sniper and during the Gulf War he travelled through the minefields of Kuwait with US Marines. He now divides his time between London and Spain.
|
|
