Montserrat Today
For Monday/Tuesday March 23/24, 1998
Presented by the Information Unit of the
Government of Montserrat's Emergency Department
A newsletter published three times weekly for E mail subscribers by the Emergency Department, Governor's Office.
THE VOLCANIC EXPLANATION:
Seismic activity increased a little on Monday night / Tuesday morning at the Soufriere Hills Volcano. There were both hybrid and volcano-tectonic earthquakes recorded at about 3 per hour for a 6 hour period overnight. However activity is still deemed to be at a low level overall.
Yesterday (Monday) there were some brief views of the dome possible and it does not seemed to have grown any since the last viewing over two weeks ago. The prominent tooth like spine at the centre of the summit of the dome is still in place.
Dust levels at all monitoring stations are at very low levels.
FORMER GOVERNOR VISITS:
Former Governor of Montserrat, Mr David Taylor in his capacity as a trustee of the Music for Montserrat Fund is curently visiting the island. Mr Taylor's spell as Governor here finished approx five years ago.
The Music for Montserrat Fund raised substantial funds for Montserrat as a result of a major pop concert in London organised by Sir George Martin late last year. Mr Taylor was invited to be one of the trustees of the fund and on this visit has made two donations to worthy causes.
RED CROSS TO PROVIDE CHILDREN"S PLAYGROUND:
The Montserrat branch of the British Red Cross have announced that they are to build a children's playground in the north of the island.
The playground to be financed from CIDA donated funding is to be constructed close to the new housing site at Look Out and work is expected to start very shortly.
CARICOM VILLAGE UPDATE:
The pre-fabricated housing units for the CARICOM village have been shipped from Cuba and should arrive on island before month end.
As soon as the houses arrive a contingent of soldiers from the Jamaica Defence Force will arrive on island to assist with their construction.
The infrastructure for the houses is currently being put in place with British funding by Brown & Root Ltd at the Look Out site. The project will also employ local labour and in all 24 units will be constructed.
LPG COOKING GAS AVAILABLE SHORTLY:
The current shortage of cooking gas on island should be over by the end of this week.
During the volcanic emergency since the bulk fuel storage facility in Plymouth was closed, the Emergency Dept has shipped empty gas bottles to Nevis for filling by Delta Ltd. A fire at Delta's facility in Nevis last month delayed any filling of bottles but repairs there have now been completed.
Montserrat bound filled bottles are being loaded on a ship today in Charlestown for onward shipping to Montserrat.
Meantime, consumers in the central and northern zones of Montserrat are being advised to keep their bottles in ash free positions or to clean them on a regular basis as the bottles are being subjected to damage by the ash and are proving difficult to fill.
NEW HOME READY IN JUNE:
The new "Golden Years Home for the Elderly" is expected to be handed over by building contractors around the middle of June 1998. The home which is expected to house 50 persons has been constructed by funds raised by the Montserrat branch of the British Red Cross.
The Golden Years Foundation has been set up to run the home and the board met recently to discuss possible opening dates. Further information about the home can be obtained from the Red Cross at E mail address:- paynea@candw.ag
NEW POLICE LAUNCH TO BE DELIVERED THIS WEEK:
The new launch for the Royal Montserrat Police Force is expected to be delivered on island later this week. The launch - Shamrock 2 will be a high speed vessel and will join the force's Marine Unit.
SURVEY OF NORTH OF ISLAND BY S&R TEAMS:
Following the successful survey of areas 3 and 4 by search and rescue teams to identify all those persons living there, it has been announced that a similar survey will be carried out in the north of the island in zones 1 and 2.
The reason for this is so that the search and rescue teams know the exact location of all buildings and the number of persons living in them in case there is ever a need for evacuation.
This is part of the contingency planning of the Emergency Dept in the ongoing volcanic eruption.
More information later in the week...........................
Published by the Education & Information Unit, Emergency Dept St John's Village, Montserrat, Leeward Islands, West Indies. Tel: 664 491 7166 Fax: 664 491 2474 E mail: monmedia@candw.ag Richard Aspin, Unit Co-ordinator.