Mount Pelée still watched in Saint Pierre more than a century after deadly blast

Authorities and residents in Saint Pierre, Martinique, continue to track Mount Pelée, an active volcano whose 1902 eruption is widely regarded as the deadliest volcanic catastrophe of the twentieth century. TVJ’s Romardo Lyons reported from the town, where the peak still dominates daily life more than a century later.

Standing with a resident named Fabrice at a castle in Saint Pierre, Lyons noted that the volcano last erupted in 1902 and remains a live concern 124 years on. Fabrice said preparations are already in place for a rapid exit if needed because the mountain is still active, and that the government shares that focus.

The 1902 blast levelled Saint Pierre and killed roughly 30,000 people within minutes. Officials now record a handful of volcano-tectonic earthquakes in Martinique each year and keep the peak under constant observation, so any order to leave would be acted on without delay.

Fabrice recalled that the earlier disaster struck only part of Saint Pierre rather than the whole town, and that nearby Carbet was spared. He said authorities had previously urged people to move as far from the danger as possible.

A museum opened in 1933 to mark the tragedy. Its walls carry the names of 7,000 victims, and objects recovered from the devastation have been turned into art as a lasting memorial. A tour guide said living with the volcano feels ordinary because people know a sudden event could come in any year, and that awareness shapes their bond with the mountain.

Not everyone keeps their distance. Martinican Veronica Coster pointed to farming: the slopes hold some of the island’s richest soil, so many agricultural workers live there, and she believes the population is largely secure today. She added that rum from the area tastes unlike spirits from elsewhere on the island because the mineral-rich earth alters the flavour—scary in one sense, she said, but also a gift residents value.

The wider Caribbean has recent reminders of volcanic risk. La Soufrière on Saint Vincent erupted explosively in April 2021, spreading ash and forcing more than 20,000 people to flee. Monitoring has been stepped up there, yet the hazard is regional. One local warned that eruptions elsewhere also raise fears of sea surges and tsunami waves, which draw almost as much attention as the volcano itself.