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Evacuation of Montserrat flowing slowly
Few residents leave in first 2 days
August 24, 1997OLVESTON, Montserrat (CNN) -- The voluntary evacuation of volcano-ravaged Montserrat appears to be getting off to a very slow start.
On Saturday, the first day of the evacuation, only 11 refugees took a ferry to neighboring Antigua. On Sunday, there was scant activity around the departure point, and a government official described it as a "rest day."
Officials of Britain's Royal Navy had said they expected about 400 people to leave the British colony on Saturday, which is half the number who had signed up for the evacuation program since registration began on Friday.
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About 4,500 residents are left on the island. Their anger over the amount of relocation assistance being provided by the mother country is apparently prompting many of them to stay put, even though much of Montserrat has been rendered uninhabitable by the Soufriere Hills volcano.
British minister: No more money coming
Britain decided last week to organize a voluntary evacuation after scientists warned that a "massive, cataclysmic" eruption of the volcano could not be ruled out.
In London Sunday, Britain's minister for international development, Clare Short, told The Observer that no more relocation money would be forthcoming. She accused island leaders of "hysterical scaremongering."
Short said she was so angered by the attitude of the island's leaders that her junior minister might cancel a planned visit to Montserrat this week.
"If they play these silly political games, there will be no point in holding talks," Short said.
She accused the island's colonial government of talking "mad money" in its requests for more help from London, saying the cash offered represented six months' average wages on the island.
Britain has offered 2,500 pounds ($4,020) per adult, less for children, to help islanders relocate to Britain or elsewhere in the Caribbean. Island leaders have requested nearly four times that amount.
Eugene Skerritt, permanent secretary to Montserrat's chief minister, said Short had offended and angered many Montserratians, who felt they were being portrayed as a "greedy bunch of people."
Moving away 'a tough decision'
The ferry ride between Montserrat and Antigua only covers about 30 miles. But for the refugees leaving their homeland behind on Saturday, the short journey was wrenching.
"Many of the Antiguans have been very warm in accepting the people in their homes, but that can only last for so long."
— Relocation coordinator Rev. Vere Byrd Jr.
"It's a tough decision, yes, because you're accustomed to it, this is your homeland, and it's really nice," says Cynthia Peters, who left her husband behind in Montserrat. "But then the volcano took it over, and there's not much we can do."
Of the 11,000 people who lived on Montserrat when the volcano first erupted two years ago, perhaps as many as 7,000 have left, and 3,000 of those have gone to Antigua. This has created a housing crunch that is expected to get even worse if the number of refugees increases.
"Many of the Antiguans have been very warm in accepting the people in their homes. But that can only last for [so] long," said the Rev. Vere Byrd Jr., a relocation coordinator for refugees on Antigua.
Other Montserratians have been put up in Antigua hotels, but they'll have to leave when the tourist season begins in November.
Government of Antigua seeks British help
The government of Antigua, a former British colony that gained independence in 1981, is pressing Britain to pay for medical care for the refugees, as well as paying to educate their children. An abandoned military base may be turned into emergency housing, if Britain agrees to foot the bill.
Leaders of the Caribbean Community Organization (Caricom) planned to meet Tuesday in Antigua to discuss ways to help Montserrat, said the group's chairman, Jamaican Prime Minister Percival J. Patterson. He planned to visit the island on Monday.
Caricom's 15 members include the independent English-speaking states of the region, plus Suriname and Haiti.
Volcanic eruptions less frequent, more violent
The Soufriere Hills volcano stirred to life in July 1995 after nearly four centuries of virtual dormancy.
Fiery eruptions in June destroyed seven villages and killed 19 people, and hot lava flows in early August destroyed much of the abandoned capital of Plymouth.
Steve Sparks, senior scientist at the volcano observatory on the island, said Sunday that eruptions were constant, although currently at a relatively lower level.
"There was an emission of ash yesterday, and we are expecting another one in a few hours," he said, adding that such emissions were taking place every 12 hours or so.
The volcano was erupting more violently every three to six weeks, he said, noting the frequency appeared to be diminishing and the violence of the eruptions growing.
Correspondent John Zarrella and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Exodus from Montserrat, amid sorrow and defiance - August 23, 1997
- Residents begin exodus from volcano ravaged paradise - August 22, 1997
- Tempers flare on beleaguered Montserrat - August 20, 1997
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