Montserrat is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean. On half of the island you will still find people and a lot of activity. However, on the other side time stands still following the July 18, 1995 eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano.
Homes remain exactly as they were the moment that people fled the lava flowing from the erupting volcano. Today, you can see rooftops of abandoned homes sticking out above the cooled lava. More than two-thirds of the people on the island fled by the year 2000 as the volcano continued to erupt.
In March of 2016 I was fortunate to be able to take a helicopter tour from St. John, Antigua to the ruins of the island. It was a warm, bright and beautiful Caribbean day when we lifted off. As we got closer to Montserrat the sky became hazy – the volcano continues to slowly erupt today and you constantly see haze and smoke when looking toward the island.
Soon we were above the trails of cooled lava running down the hillside. Suddenly, we came upon the homes that are frozen in time. The trails of lava lead right into the Caribbean Sea and there is an eerie stillness where there was once life and activity.
If you ever have the opportunity to make a trip to Montserrat, especially an aerial tour, I would highly recommend it.
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