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the resurrection of montserrat

a p h o t o e s s a y b y j a d d a v e n p o r t

i n t o t h e l i g h t

For centuries, visitors to Montserrat had discovered what the locals already knew: the Emerald Is

paradise. Here in the British West Indies, clear mountain springs watered the terraced banana pla

Trade winds cooled the quaint colonial streets o Plymouth, the capital. The slumbering volcano called

Hills rose above the descendants o Arican slaves and Irish and English immigrants who called M

home. One morning nearly 15 years ago, the paradise they knew ended. A visit today reveals a new b

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f o r c e s o f n a t u r e

Souriere Hills awoke in a series o deadly eruptions in 1995. Plymouth was evacuated and eventually

mudslides and ash, like a modern-day Pompeii. The southern two-thirds o the island was condemned

limits exclusion zone. More than hal o Montserrats population let orever. But 4,000 islanders h

their stand in the northern sae zone. Scientists think the area is beyond the reach o the volcano

still active. Theres hope, says one islander whose village was lost. Nature has a way o healing

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s t r e n g t h o f s

We called him Brother Hammy, says villager James Roach. He came around telling us to repent. I

he said the devil was gonna come down rom the mountain and pay us a visit. The wrath o Sou

is seen in the ruins, and scientists rom the Montserrat Volcano Observatory are now the only one

But the aith o the people here while sorely tested remains strong. Rather than dwell on wh

lost, says Father George Agger, a priest with St. Patricks Parish, the people say, Thank God we h

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r i s i n g f r o m t h e a s h e s

The abandoned artiacts o daily lie, the empty homes, the gray hillsides all are ghostly reminders rozen in

time. But then a peregrine alcon is seen on this island or the irst time in years, inding and hunting its prey

on the ashen plain. Wild cattle, eral pigs and enormous rogs reclaim the land abandoned by people. The ra inor-

est begins to spring back with vibrant strength. The morning sunshine lights up Jack Boy Hill as travelers

return again and discover the true beauty that endures here on Montserrat.

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l e a r n i n g t o t r i u m p h

Many amilies did not expect a permanent evacuation and let behind everything. Now they understand better

the power o the volcano and how to live with it. Every school child is a geology expert and knows the def-

nitions o lahars, andesite and pyroclastic surges. The new capital is planned or Little Bay in the sae zone.

Fresh red- and blue-rooed homes already dot the ridge. Souriere Hills is one o the most studied volcanoes

on Earth. Although the mountain reuses to ully sleep again, Montserrat is awakening to a promising uture. ^

To find out how you can help Montserrat and for Jad Davenports audio commentary, visit islands.co

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