Montserrat - Life for remaining islanders

(27 Aug 1997) T/I: 10:40:25


Embarrassed by charges of being tight-fisted and disorganised over the way it's helping the volcano threatened colony of Montserrat, Britain is to review how it treats the remains of its empire.
Some 5,000 residents on the island are opting to stay instead of evacuating to neighbouring Antigua. Britain started the evacuation exercise two weeks ago but it may now be halted as fewer than 40 people, instead of the 2,000 Britain expected, had taken up the offer.
However, life is hard for those staying behind. The cost of everyday goods is high and many shops have closed their doors. The rest of the island's 11,000 people have fled since the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted two years ago.

SHOWS:

MONTSERRAT. 27 AUGUST, 1997
Town street;
VS closed shopfronts, inc. Royal Bank of Canada, Colonial Life Insurance;
People at pavement stall;
VS goods in stall;
SOT woman describing the high costs of vegetables;
Man enters shop;
CU sign;
CU cheque;
t-shirt;
VS goods in shop;
SOT man in shop, describing difficulties of doing business;
VS shop interior;
SOT shopowner, saying there is now a void in the economic system that must be urgently fixed;
CA shop;
SOT man saying he'll have to stop accepting credit cards;
MS interior shop;
WS people on street,
volcano in distance;

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