Mount Pelee is a volcano located on the island of Martinique. On April 23, 1902, the volcano began exhibiting activity. Steam and ash began erupting out of the volcano, concerning residents nearby. The activity went on with various degrees of intensity and frequency for several days. On May 5, a massive mudslide destroyed a sugar refinery and many people working and living in proximity. Tsunamis from underwater activity inundated the island. Lava began flowing as well. While many people died from these events, the worst part of the event would occur on May 8. A pyroclastic surge exploded down the volcano at hurricane speed, blasting everything in the path with extremely hot steam, gasses, and rocks. Escape was basically impossible, resulting in the deaths of 28,000 people in addition to those that had died in the previous days. Eruptions in the subsequent weeks would cause more deaths of rescue workers and those bringing in supplies. This event would continue sporadically until October of 1902.

For context, many probably remember the volcanic eruption in New Zealand. Whakaari/White Island erupted in 2019 while there were 47 people in the island. This eruption killed 22, including two who have never been recovered but are presumed dead, and injured the other 25. I follow a girl on Instagram who has documented her recovery and the loss of her father and sister on the island. This devastating eruption caused horrific injuries. There is a documentary out, I think on Netflix, about this...and this was just a Phreatic eruption. This type of eruption is what happened on Mount Pelee when the steam and ash were blasting out in the days before the worse eruption that killed 28,000 people. Imagining how horrible this event was and then comparing that to what happened at Mount Pelee is staggering to think about.

This book was really engaging. I wasn't familiar with this disaster, so I learned a lot. I also learned a lot about volcanic activity in general from this book. If you are interested, it only took me about six hours to listen to and is included in the Audible Plus catalog until October 15, 2024. Check it out if you have the opportunity. The physical copy is less than 300 pages if you are interested in that version.