 |  | | The Eruption
The eruption of the Soufrière Hills Volcano began on 18 July 1995. Nearly a year later, the volcano forced the islanders to evacuate the capital, Plymouth, situated only 4 km from the volcano. The government set up a risk map to ensure people were a safe distance away from the dangerous pyroclastic flows that had so far destroyed areas to the south and east of the volcano. Initially, the zones were given a letter code. Moving from zones G to A represents an increased risk. The status of each zone was dependent on volcanic activity at that time. Unfortunately this did not prevent disaster on 25 June 1997. |  | |  | |
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