Independent Baptist Friends International

Montserrat has an active volcano, which is monitored by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. The volcano had been long dormant until the early 1990s when it began showing signs of erupting; now it is active, and closely watched. Montserrat's Georgian era historic capital city of Plymouth was destroyed and two-thirds of the island's population were forced to flee abroad by an eruption of the previously dormant Soufriere Hills volcano that began on July 18, 1995. The eruption continues today on a much reduced scale, the damage being confined to the areas around Plymouth, including its docking facilities and the former W. H. Bramble Airport, the remnants of which were buried by flows from volcanic activity on February 11, 2010. An exclusion zone extending from the south coast of the island north to parts of the Belham Valley has been imposed because of the size of the existing volcanic dome and the resulting potential for pyroclastic activity. At present visitors are not permitted entry into Plymouth, but an impressive view of the destruction can be had from the top of Garibaldi Hill in Isles Bay.

The village of Brades currently serves as the temporary center of government while construction proceeds on a new town at Little Bay in the north of the island.

Sources

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montserrat
• http://www.flickr.com/places/info/23424888/
• http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=montserrat