This is actually rather concerning:

Volcano Watch — Dual volcanic tragedies in the Caribbean led to founding of HVO

A pair of devastating eruptions in the Caribbean 99 years ago this week shook the world and, as fate would have it, led indirectly to the founding of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Both eruptions occurred in the Lesser Antilles island arc. The Soufriere volcano, on the British island of St. Vincent, erupted powerfully on May 7, 1902, killing 2,000 inhabitants. The very next day and 150 km (100 miles) farther north, Mont Pelee exploded on the French island of Martinique, destroying the city of St. Pierre and sending 28,000 people to their deaths. The timing of the two eruptions was coincidental. The deaths were preventable by today's standards.

The eruption of Soufriere was preceded by about a year of felt earthquakes. Explosions began on May 6 from within a crater lake. At about noon on May 7, the lake overflowed with hot, muddy water followed by explosions of lava.

The eruption rapidly developed a high column of ash, and pyroclastic flows-among the most dangerous of all volcanic events-rushed down valleys at hurricane velocity. The pyroclastic flows were hot enough to kill, but people in sheltered locales survived.

At Mont Pelee the situation was different and even more tragic. The volcano had been erupting at a low level for several weeks and had erupted mildly in 1851. Still, residents remained unconvinced of its potential power.
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