Montserrat, the abandoned country

Montserrat was unremarkable island State, British Overseas Territories, while in 1995 no tragedy struck.

25 June 1995 started a catastrophic eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano, it was the first since the XVII century.
When pyroclastic flows and mudflows have become regular, Plymouth was evacuated, and after a few weeks the city was entered by several meters of ash.

A major eruption of June 25, 1997 resulted in the death of 19 people. The island's airport was in the way of the main flow, and was completely destroyed.
Most people in the country were evacuated, the capital covered with ashes and lava destroyed completely.
Strong volcanic eruption occurred July 28, 2008 with no prior activity.
Pyroclastic flows reached Plymouth.
February 11, 2010 there was a partial collapse of the dome of the volcano.

61 photos via Ilya Varlamov





It has been almost 20 years, but now most of the island is closed to roads destroyed hundreds of houses are abandoned.
The country still does not have the capital, but there is one road, two gas stations, restaurants, and as many as 4 6 churches.

Montserrat is of interest to lovers walk through the deserted city. There looters did not have time to plunder the houses that the inhabitants left 20 years ago. On hangers still hangs expensive clothes, lying in cold foods, and coffee tables can be found newspapers, dated June 1995. Terrible, of course, the spectacle.

Fly Montserrat here are small airplanes.



I went over to his plane, I met the pilot. All passengers are no more! The pilot tells about the plane, recommends the right direction to take on board, to make it easier to remove.



Ready to Fly). Very cool, of course, when you buy a ticket for $ 100, and you fly alone.



Montserrat. Rocky, rough, sometimes without beaches.



Today the island lives off tourists. People come here to watch birds and walk in the mountains. Generally, if you are interested in privacy, Montserrat, probably a good place. There's nothing: no clubs or restaurants or luxury hotels. The main thing - there are no people! But all sorts of animals, mountain trails and beautiful forests.



As such, capital is no more. Now the temporary administrative center - the village in the north of the island Breyds



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People live in small villages, many abandoned houses.



That's the whole capital.



Bus stops have sponsors who then placed there advertising.



Beach with volcanic sand.



We go further. The island has only one road will not get lost. Soon the road begins to deteriorate, and there are signs of the restricted area.



Along the road are abandoned village.



Login zapreschen.Kogda us it stopped?



Along the roads flowing rivers of milk with hydrogen sulfide odors, just like in Iceland



Here's a picture of the eruption: show how the volcano has destroyed half of the island. On the right - the former capital of Plymouth, on the left - the former airport.



That's the capital looks like now.



From under the roof of lava sticking out only the tallest buildings. The volcano was asleep for 400 years. The eruption continues today.



Legal possibilities to get in the city. There are tours by boat and helicopter. Walking around the city is impossible, as there is still the danger of eruption.



Since 1995, the volcano erupts intermittently. The island has a volcanic Observatory Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO), which continuously measures the activity of the volcano, it developed a complex system of civil defense. The island is divided into zones marked with letters (A, B, ...) with different status, the observatory on the basis of observations assigns "threat level" from 1 to 5 (now the "level of danger" - 3). Depending on the "danger level" in different zones enabled or disabled some activities where it is possible to live and to do anything, just fear of falling ash from the sky and Caribbean cyclones; somewhere to live for those who already live, but be prepared for evacuation; somewhere you can not be at all to anyone but specialists. In every home there is usually a silent battery-powered radio, in which at any moment can pass on evacuation alert - in some ways similar to our radio receiving (whose main purpose, as we know, this alert defense and disaster relief)



The former colonial capital looks



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That's how it looked in the center until 1995



But so is now.



On the hills around the capital are luxury villas



All of them are abandoned.



Previously, it was the most expensive real estate on the island.



Over time, houses roof falls



For 20 years the nature win a space. In some homes do not come already.



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Now there's nobody there.



Inside the bed and a hole on the roof. Over 20 years of water dripping from the roof, a bed burned like acid.



Surprisingly, the villa completely looted! The houses are televisions, furniture, appliances



Putters



Someone took during evacuation all



Someone - only the most valuable.



Empty houses look scary. All the time it seems that in the next room there is any corpse lying.



In the refrigerator with food '95 is



Even the cutlery no one touched.



Furniture



It is evident that people are in a hurry to leave this place. Someone forgot a suitcase with clothes. 20 years, this suitcase is here, and no one touches it. We have long been pilfered all. I wonder why these homes until they reached the looters?



Hats



On hangers still hangs expensive clothes



In the bathroom, under a layer of volcanic ash, even a toothbrush has remained



Somebody's bedroom was ... ...



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Magazines and cassettes '95



Some rooms have survived well.



And somewhere collapsed roof and lodged plants.



Walk the ghost town difficult. The roads are destroyed.



Nature comes back very quickly, and very soon the city will disappear completely.



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You know Montserrat! I love it!



There used to be an airport.



Some more pictures of Plymouth from the helicopter.



Packed into the lava



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Currently, the southern part of the island and the entrance is forbidden to enter, violators are caught and fined



Although why go here, unless for the purpose of take a walk on the deserted city?



It is expected that the victim is half of Montserrat uninhabitable for at least another 10 years.

that's all, thank you for your attention.



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