Britain To Begin Moving Citizens Off Montserrat

Britain will soon start a voluntary evacuation of this volcanic Caribbean island, but residents complained Tuesday that a British aid package would not be enough to set up their lives elsewhere.

About 4,000 people remain on Montserrat, roughly half of them crowded into shelters on the north side, away from the rumbling Soufriere Hills volcano. The rest of the island’s 11,000 people have left since the volcano awoke two years ago.

British officials said Tuesday they would begin evacuating residents who want to leave “very soon.”

Those leaving would be housed temporarily on Antigua and get assistance “to either come to Britain or to settle on a neighboring island or elsewhere,” said Clare Short, the international development secretary.

A member of the island’s Parliament, David Brandt, said Montserrat would ask London to increase the amount of money it plans to give to cover relocation costs.

Plans call for a married couple with two children, for example, to receive less than $41,000, Brandt said, citing “unofficial” details. Only 20 percent of the aid would be immediately available, with the rest disbursed over 18 months, he said.

“We totally and completely reject the proposed package,” said a statement by a group calling itself Citizens for a Fairer Deal. “These funds are woefully inadequate considering, for example, the high rental cost in islands such as Antigua and their standard of living.”