Emerald Isle of the Caribbean
Adventurous, eccentric, and eco-minded visitors are returning to the island of Montserrat. In the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters to hit the Caribbean during recorded history, two-thirds of the population of 12,000 had to be evacuated in 1995 and 1996 after the island’s volcano, Soufrière Hills, blew its top, smothering the southern portion of the island. Much of the island’s southern tier, including the island’s only airport, was burned, buried, or rendered uninhabitable. Another destructive blast occurred in 1997.11
