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See the Montserrat Volcano Observatory website for updates on the Soufriere Hills Volcano, and ssd.noaa.gov for volcanic ash advisories.

- - - 2009 Hurricane Season - - -

- Partial Dome Collapse
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:17:19 -0600
Just a quick note

The volcano here on Montserrat has partially collapsed. The event was about an hour long event. The pyroclastic flows went to the NE and E reaching the sea at the old airport and toward Trants. A few PF's went into the Belham as far as the edge of Cork Hill. But the collapse stayed to the east. The winds were in our favor so most of the inhabited areas did not get any ash. (Thank Goodness). If you look on the satellite the you can see the ash cloud moving in between Antigua and Guadalupe.
It will be a few days before we know how much came down but hopefully it will be enough to let those of us evacuated be able to go home.

Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Satellite image Soufriere Hills Volcano
  • By Gert van Dijken <gert at vandijken.com>
  • Date: Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:23:40 -0800
Just posted on the NASA Earth Observatory Image of the Day website a 'nice' image of the volcano that started to act up again...

Soufriere Hills Volcano Resumes Activity
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=42202

--
Gert van Dijken
Caribbean Hurricane Network
http://stormcarib.com

- Silica in ash
  • By "Paul & Beth" <sheriff at candw.ms>
  • Date: Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:11:25 -0400
Yes, there is silica in the ash.  There is ongoing testing of individuals by doctors who are studying the effect of ash on the lungs. To date, after years of testing there has not been found any harmful effects from the ash to lung function. I'm not positive but you might go to the MVO website and look at all the papers that have been written about different aspects of the volcano.  The reports from the doctors should be there.If not, you could e-mail the MVO and they would know where to find it.
 
I am in Zone B, the evacuated area.  We are allowed into our homes from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm 7 days a week.  We are not allowed to sleep in our homes at night.  Since the explosive event on January 8 the Isles Bay side of the Belham has no access.  Unfortunately, this is where Tina Bretton's home is. I hope everyone will keep Tina and her family in your prayers.  To say we're all stressed is putting it mildly.
 
Hopefully, no one will be getting any ash today as the wind is going to the southwest. It is a good chance to sweep,shovel and cart the ash away from yesterday.  This is a daily occurrence for us.  Then  we go out to our night time residence where we can do the same thing there. 
 
So everybody, get out your hymnbook and look up "Showers of Blessings" and SING!!!!!  We haven't had rain since New Year's Eve and we're desperate.
 
Looking forward to another ash free day,
 
Beth



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- Fwd: Montserrat
  • By Gert van Dijken <gert at vandijken.com>
  • Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:33:11 -0800

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul & Beth <sheriff at candw.ms>
Date: Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 7:15 AM
Subject: Montserrat


We here in Montserrat are really getting the ash.  The winds which normally blow to the West have started to go North which is why every island North of us is dusty. What isn't falling from the volcano is blowing off the trees and roofs and at times we are in a "gray out"!!!  Tina ( the usual correspondent) and I are in zone B which at the moment has daytime entry only, 6:30 am to 5:30 pm. None of us in the zone are really concerned about the volcano so much as the politics of the whole situation. It is a very stressful time and our Carnival is going on in spite of everything.  I'd ask you to pray for rain but when the plume is over us it comes down as mud and is even worse to clean up. Wait for the prayers until the wind returns to the West.
 
In spite of everything, we're holding on and holding up. 
 
I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.  Let us all remember the reason for the season and ask for His continued blessings.
 
Beth Breuer
Old Towne,
Montserrat



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--
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Caribbean Hurricane Network
http://stormcarib.com

- Volcano seems to be getting sleepy
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:34:17 -0500
Good Morning

Since the 23rd the volcano has been in a low activity phase
. A few PF's but nothing of any significance. The winds have been in our favor so no ash has fallen over inhabited areas . Is it going back to sleep, we never know. It is pretty unpredictable so we can only hope that it is winding down for now. I am really tired of cleaning ash. You can check out the volcano reports and other stuff at the MVO website  www.mvo.ms 

It has been really beautiful for the last week. Nightly and early morning rains have wash the ash off of everything and things are greening back up. Blue skies and CLEAR air, there have been occasional showers during the day, keeps it cooled off.

Police week starts tomorrow, lots of fun activities will take place through out the week. Plus there is a fishing tournament that takes place tomorrow at Little Bay. Will be a busy and fun week.

Speaking of Little Bay, I drove that way last week and was really surprised at the progress. If they keep this up we may FINALLY have our new capital in a couple of years, maybe by the start of next season
(that would be just wishful thinking). But seriously, they have the roads in place and the drainage problem has been sorted out. Lets see if this pace keeps up. We certainly hope so, I think that Montserrat needs this permanent Capital to give it that boost that it needs. To many things around here are temporary. It is hard to take pride in something that is temporary.

Take Care
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Soufriere Hills Volcano
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:37:07 -0500
Good Evening

Activity at the Soufriere  Hills Volcano is still on going. Today was a bad day. The winds shifted yesterday, they have been coming from the SE to ESE so the whole island of Montserrat has been receiving ash.
I made a trip up North today, all along the main road was ash.
From Isles Bay to Look Out, ash everywhere. It was really bad between Salem and St. Peter's. Then from Brades to St. John's. The worst was when it started raining mud, I drove home with my finger on the windshield washer button, constant water on the windshield to wash the mud off so I could see. By the wind forecast we can expect this until Saturday. Gross!

The Bellham Valley also ran today, and it was mud not water. It was not to bad. This was the first time in a long time I have seen it run mud instead of more water.

Sorry to say that from the Ash Advisories are predicting all the islands to our NE To NW can expect to get some ash.

Pyroclastic Flows remained mainly south, the largest traveling 3km down the volcano. There have been pyroclastic flows in all directions but they were small most traveling no more then 1km and not to many of them. Most activety has been mainly to the south. 
 
You can get more information on the MVO website 
http://www.mvo.ms 

As you can see from the attached photos it has been a very icky, hazy and ashy day.

Take Care
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Oh what a Beautiful Day
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:37:25 -0500
Good Morning

Well, we have had 3 days of relatively quiet activity from the volcano. No ash at my house so I have been able to get things cleaned up and get things looking like normal (sorta of). MVO states that the volcano has gone back to low activity, there is still some rock falls and pyroclastic flows but they are small and sporadic. This is an indication that the dome is still growing but not at such a vigorous rate as the last few weeks. This is as of yesterday, the MVO has not made a report for today. I am not seeing any large ash clouds and I can smell the gases (this is a good thing). When you smell the gases that means the magma is not to thick so gases are able to escape. Let's hope that it is winding down again.
You can check out the MVO site at  www.mvo.ms

The weather has been gorgeous. Beautiful blue skies and calm seas. We have had a nice breeze to keep it from getting to hot. Nights have been really pleasant, a little on the cool side. Great for sleeping.

We have had some good rains the last couple of days. Not long period rains but good enough to wash the ash off the roofs and out of the trees. Gave the plants a good washing so they are happy. With the ash and acid rain I have lost most of the leaves off my trees and plants but the rains have kick started everything into put out new leaves. It is still pretty dry and we could use a few long rain showers but I will take what I can get.
 
Have a Great Day &
God Bless
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- It's raining mud
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:18:42 -0500
Good Morning

Just a quick update, then it is back to cleaning up ash (or gooey mud should I say)

Montserrat finally got some good rain last night and this morning. Unfortunately here in Isles Bay and surrounding areas we got mud. I do not know which areas got ashed or how far north the ash went. I will report later when I find out. The lahars are flowing, the Belham had alot of mud come down. Not the worst I have seen but enough we will have to wait for the bulldozer to come and clear us a path (fix the trenches the water dug out) to get across.

I will have more later and post a few pictures.

Take Care 
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- ALERT..Ash may be coming
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 07:24:36 -0500
Good Morning

The volcano is being active this morning. It sent an ash cloud up, with the winds blowing in the wrong way. The winds are taking the ash to the North-Northwest. It is falling in the Isles Bay, Old Towne, Olveston, and inhabited areas to the north. They are saying that it might effect the airport.

This means that other islands may be get ash fall too. Nevis and St. Kitts will most likely get fall out. Islands to the north of Montserrat will probably get fall out a little later.

More later.

Take Care
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Volcano wake this morning
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Tue, 6 Oct 2009 07:57:48 -0500
Good Morning

Soufriere Hills volcano was up early today, we had 2 ash venting events around 6:00 this morning, the second event reach close to 20,000ft. The winds are still right and sending the ash over Plymouth (destroyed capital)  and to the west-southwest of the island. This is good, no ash in the inhabited areas (meaning my house..No ash). The MVO has said to expect more events but is stressing that these are not explosive events or eruptions. These are just the volcano venting ash.

It looks to be a beautiful day. Nice blue skies, calm seas and slight breeze. May have showers off and on today. May have ashing off and on today.

91L is to the east and we are watching it closely.

Take care
Tina

Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Stupid Volcano
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Mon, 5 Oct 2009 08:45:27 -0500
Good Morning All

Last night around 10:30 the volcano decided to remind us that it was still around
. It made no noise, I would not have know except I went outside to sit and notice the really dark storm cloud. I thought to my self..self that is a weird looking storm cloud..then reality hit...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, that is an ash cloud  . ran around to the side of the house and sure enough the volcano was spitting out a column of ash..*sigh*. Oh well, at least we have had almost a year of no activity. There were no explosions just ash venting, at least that is the report as of this morning. Luckily, the ash cloud stayed to the southwest so no inhabited areas were hit with ash, at least not that I know of. This morning we have had a few thin ash clouds but again they have stayed to the southwest. As long as it stays away from my house I am ok with it. Nasty, yucky stuff . 

It is an overcast day, we had a pretty good thunderstorm about 3am. Did not rain hard but it was steady for a couple of hours. Just made a lot of noise.

Needless to say between the volcano and thunderstorm, I have had no sleep. Ahhhhhhhh, life on the islands, what an adventure.

Everyone is keeping an eye on 91L, it is looking good. None of the global models are developing this system but that can change so we watch it until it either dissipates or gets passed the area.

For the other islands in our area, if you get ash...I am so sorry, I would have stopped it if I could
, but you know how volcanoes are they just have a mind of their own.   


Have a great day!
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Rain, maybe..maybe not
  • By Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Sun, 4 Oct 2009 11:22:20 -0500
I have not posted much this season..not much to say.

The weather has been dry and hot. Some rain at night but nothing of any significance. It rains just enough to make it humid & hot
. Beautiful blue skies but just to hot to do anything .

Today, we got rain (enough that the Belham is running). Rained a lot in the mountains, but we just got showers here. Just enough that I could not work in the yard (to bad
). From the sound of it I thought we would be getting some downpours, the thunder was loud with some lightening. But alas, it was all talk and no action.

The volcano has been very quiet, I mean really really quiet. I think the MVO said there was 2 rockfalls for the whole week. A couple of days the winds came from the southeast so we got a whiff of the gasses
, YUCK, NASTY & STINKY. It is really bad when it wakes you up at night, talk about a rude awakening.... gross.

Watching the blob to the east, looks like it may turn into something. It has been a quiet hurricane season but it is not over yet. Stay prepared.     
Have a great day!
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Lovely, Lovely rain
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 09:04:17 -0500
Good Morning

Erica is still over us. Not much wind, lots of slow steady rain.

We got some pretty stout winds at 5am this morning, I am guessing but they seemed to be 30 to 40mph with a tad stronger gusts. There was enough rain that the Belham Valley flooded but the water is already gone.
Right now, we have overcast skies, steady rain and thunder & lightening. Looks like this will go on all day today. At least it is not hot and humid, it is quite pleasant sitting on the veranda. Seas do not look to bad but we are on the west side of the island.

I got a late start this morning, stayed up watching this system until 2:30am. Got rudely awaken at 5:11am by rain in the face (forgot to shut my window before I went to bed). Crawled back into bed after watching the wind and rain for a few minutes. I had planned to post a report before I went back to bed but I did that "I am just going to lay down for a minute and stretch" well, I stretched right out and went back to sleep, did not get up until a little after 9:00...... hate when that happens.

Stay safe &
have a great day!
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- TS Erika 'The Wild Child'
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Wed, 2 Sep 2009 08:30:14 -0500
Good Morning

TS Erika has had a mind of her own since the beginning. She has not followed the rules. Just when forecasters think they have a handle on her she does something unexpected.

As of 5am this morning, Montserrat has been included in the Tropical Storm warnings. James White Director of the DMCA, was just on the radio explaining the situation. He has asked that everyone prepare and stay vigilant, stay tuned to the radio for updates and expect the weather to worsen later today. Montserrat can expect rains in the range of 2 to 6 inches. The main thing Montserrat, as well as other islands, needs to worry about is flash flooding.

We also need to watch the African coast, the 'wave train' has started. So everyone needs to stay aware.

Good news..Volcano is still quiet!
 

Stay Safe
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- 94L is giving me a headache.
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2009 09:00:59 -0500
Good Morning

94L is the darnedest thing, No one can get a good handle on this storm. NHC has not named it yet. I do not think that anyone is even sure where the center is. Hurricane Hunter crew will investigate 94L this afternoon around 2pm so with good data we can get a good tracking on this storm. Hopefully not much will change and the tracks will keep it away from us (except maybe the rain). 

Since it is so close I will prepare for at least a strong TS, I hope everyone does the same.

Also we have a new "blob" to the east, just coming off the African coast. It is already in the yellow. So another one to watch.

Montserrat is a little more then partly cloudy and cool (or should I say cooler then the hot it has been the last few weeks). No winds to speak of.

The volcano is still quiet (yea!) still praying it stays that way. 

Have a great day &
stay safe
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Bye Bye Bill
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:18:35 -0500
Good Afternoon

With a "sigh" of relief, Montserrat waves bye bye to Bill as he passes by.

I am not sure if we will get any significant rain from Bill, but it is raining now, seems it will be a nice shower. Hopefully, we will get a few more showers like these through out the day.

The sea is looking rough but it is suppose to get worse through out the day and night. We shall see.

The volcano is still quiet, thank goodness Bill did not make enough noise to wake it up.

We are praying that every land mass in the vicinity of Bill's path stays safe and gets passed by like we did. 


Have a great day!
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Very Breezy
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:22:05 -0500
Good Morning

It has been so beautiful here on Montserrat since Ana passed through. Clear blue skies, just gorgeous. It has been a bit breezy though. Winds have been picking up since yesterday, not bad. It has kept things cooled off.

I have noticed that the seas are a little rough this morning. Must be due to Hurricane Bill. Which looks like we will luck out, if the NHC track stays true. Bill will pass well NE of us. I hope we at least get some good rains from it. Of coarse until he passes we can not let our guard down, it is nature so you never know what it will do.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Stay Safe

Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Ana has come and gone, now Bill
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2009 07:49:15 -0500
Good Morning

Ana pasted through Montserrat last night, delivering some much needed rain. The winds were around 25mph with slightly higher gust, lots of thunder and lightening, but most important a good amount of rain. This morning my plants are extremely happy.
The Belham valley flooded and ran a little bit last night but nothing major. There was not water this morning, just the muddy evidence that it did run. Plus the volcano stunk! Woke up to the lovely
  aroma of volcanic gases. The air has cleared now so it looks to be a beautiful morning
Now we must watch TS (It could be a hurricane by now, have not checked)  Bill and the waves coming off the African coast.

Have a great day
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Ready or not
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2009 09:08:49 -0500
Good Morning

Dear Miss Mermaid; so nice to see you escaped, I hope your recovery is a short on. I bet the Kitties are so glad to have you home. I will keep you in my prayers.

Tried to send in reports for the last few days but I guess they got Lost in Cyberspace. For some reason, this end showed sent but it never showed up on Stormcarib. Technology, gotta love it.

Well, Ana is on her way and Bill (suppose to be named today) not far behind, time for the "Make sure the neighborhood is cleaned up parties" to start (If you have not figured out, here in the Caribbean; "Give us a reason and we shall have a party"). You should already have your property cleaned up, take a walk around your neighborhood to check for anyone who isn't, their junk can be what damages your home. If you have elderly or disabled persons in your neighborhood, they may need help preparing.  I hope everyone north of Dominica is ready or preparing (south might want to prepare, just in case). 

So many people say the predicted tracking is not near us, Well, DUH, you are dealing with nature, just because you are not in the cone, does not mean you are not at risk of taking a hit. Hurricanes have a mind of their own, humans can predict where it MIGHT go and most times they are pretty close but; a slight jog north or south, or an hour more of going west instead of turning north, the predicted path changes to a whole new area. If you are prepared then you are not caught by surprise, Better safe then sorry, a little precaution and being prepared can mean the difference between life & death, a few hundred dollars worth of damage vs thousands of dollars worth of damage. OK off my soapbox.

Montserrat has been getting some rain off and on for the past few days. I am so glad, we really needed it, still need more but the morning and evening showers have been a blessing. It has cooled things down, not been getting to the boiling point (I am talking about me, I get really cranky when I am too hot).

Volcano is quiet, praying it stays that way.


    
Everyone be safe & take care
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- I tried everything.......
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Fri, 7 Aug 2009 12:33:58 -0500
Good Afternoon Everyone

First I want to wish Dear Miss Mermaid a speedy recovery and I really hope she gets to go home soon (at least to get some very needed rest). Miss Mermaid you are in my thoughts and prayers.

I think hospitals should allow patients to go home for 2 nights a week (or in my husbands case get a hotel room) that way they are insured at least 2 nights a week of UNINTERRUPTED sleep. Or better yet, leave them alone at night so they can get the bed rest Doctors are always saying you need for your body to recuperate. Just my opinion.

Montserrat is hot and dry right now. It has been extremely hazy.  I have done everything to try to make it rain. I washed the car, watered the plants and in most cases, the sure fire way to make it rain; I did laundry, whites at that. But no rain. I even tried by washing the dogs, giving them a really good bath, but no rain
. The Belham is blowing up dust like there is no tomorrow. There is a breeze but is not a cool one, it is hot too. The plants are not to happy but I know it is going to rain sooner or later and then I will be wishing that it would quit.

The volcano is still quiet. Not doing nothing at all, and I am praying it
stays that way.



Take Care & Stay Safe

Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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- Dust, Dust & more Dust
  • From: Tina Bretton <tbretton59 at msn.com>
  • Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:02:52 -0500
Good Afternoon

It has been awhile since my last post, I have been in Puerto Rico for the last 5 weeks, my husband took a very serious fall that cause a spinal cord injury. When we were careflighted out of Montserrat he could not move anything from the neck down. Now he is at 85 to 90%recovered
. I want to take the time to say a big THANK YOU to the staff of the Veterans Hospital in San Juan for the excellent care they gave my husband. They were fantastic. I would highly recommend any American Veteran that needs medical care to go there.
Also, the hospital here in Montserrat, THANK YOU ya'll did a fantastic job with the limited amount of equipment you had to work with. The Doctor was excellent and Nurse Fagen (hope I spelt the name right) was as professional, nice and supportive as one could hope for, you are an Angel.

Now for what is happening on Montserrat. We have had beautiful weather! A little on the breezy side which just helps keep the heat down. The only complaint I have is the dust in the Belham Valley is also blowing everywhere. A little rain would be nice to tap it down
.

The volcano continues to remain quiet (Thank you Lord). No activity to speak of. The MVO is probably getting bored with nothing to watch. I say LET THEM REMAIN BORED!
Hopefully, the "h word season" will remain as quiet and uneventful.

Have a wonderful day!
Tina
Isles Bay
Montserrat
       
 




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