In 1899, the island and much of its infrastructure was devastated by a hurricane.
Devastation in Montserrat after the 1899 hurricane. It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record. Credit: Chronicle / Alamy. Date: 1899
Although the island was devastated by the Hurricane, money was slow to come and grudgingly given.
Almost a week after the hurricane hit Montserrat and its neighbour islands, the UK Treasury grants a sum of £500 for relief. Credit: UK National Archives. Date: 12/08/1899
Typically, after a disaster in this era the administration made proposals for Aid. These were split into public ‘free’ grants and loans for private individuals to repair. Comparisons were often made between islands (in this case between St Vincent impacted by a hurricane in 1898) and Montserrat’s 1899 devastation, and things became complex when islands were multiply impacted by the same event.
Aid packages by the UK treasury for Montserrat and Nevis were decreed more than three months after the disaster Credit: UK National Archives. Date: 17/11/1899
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