Mitigation Methods, Montserrat and Mount Etna

Question 1

why is protection needed?

Answer 1

for buildings, bridges and infrastructure to make sure they don’t collapse, cause injury
it means preparing for the event and identify a time when the area should be evacuated

Question 2

why is planning needed?

Answer 2

preparation for what to do during and after an event to help people survive and recover well

Question 3

why is aid needed in poorer countries?

Answer 3

for monitoring, evacuation, emergency shelters, food and long term resettlement

Question 4

describe Montserrat’s volcanic history

Answer 4

lava domes have been created as a result of silica rich lava building up at the top of the volcanoes

Question 5

what happened in July 1995?

Answer 5

eruptions of ash and dust from the Chances Peak volcano prompted immediate response from scientists, they discovered that is was dormant and not extinct

Question 6

what happened in April 1996?

Answer 6

the entire population was forced to leave Plymouth (the capital)

Question 7

what happened on June 25th 1997?

Answer 7

Chances Peak erupted and the dome of the volcano collapsed which forced 5 million m3 of hot rocks and gases down its sides. Plymouth was covered by pyroclastic flows of hot ash, rocks, boulders and lahars

Question 8

what other impacts did the volcano have?

Answer 8

• fires associated with pyroclastic flows killed 19 people
• number of burn and inhalation injuries
• 2/3rds of all houses buried by ash and rocks
• the island’s airport was completely destroyed
• more than half of the population (11,000) were evacuated to Antigua, the USA and the UK
• further eruptions and evacuations occurred in December 2006, July 2008 and February 2010

Question 9

what were the short term responses?

Answer 9

• the Montserrat Volcano Observatory was set up in 1995 and successful predicted the eruption
• exclusion zones were defined in the south of the island and visits were severely restricted
• NGO’s such as the Red Cross, set up temporary schools and provided medical support and food
• warning systems were set up to alert inhabitants
• troops from the USA and the British Navy come to aid the evacuation process
• £17 million in UK aid paid for temporary buildings and water purification systems

Question 10

what were the long term responses?

Answer 10

• a three year development programme for houses, schools, medical services, infrastructure and agriculture was funded by the UK
• by 2005, many people had moved back to the island
• UK financial aid since 1995 has exceeded £420 million

Question 11

describe Mount Etna

Answer 11

it is a stratocone volcano that has summit craters, secondary parasitic caves and fissures. It is the result of collision between the african and eurasian tectonic plates