Weekend Window Opens on Montserrat

But still, some can see beauty in the volcano.

"We have a very healthy respect for the volcano," Cassell said. "We know what it can do, but we've decided we are going to live with it. We want to stay here. This is our home, and we're not going anywhere."

Dark and Sandy Beaches

Related

Weekend Window: Kauai, HI

Montserrat's dark sand beaches are also a result of volcanic activity on the island. The volcanic sand is grainer than sand found on other islands, and so dark it appears almost black in places.

"A lot of people tend to be afraid of dark sand beaches, but it gives that much more of a turquoise hue [to the water] than most other white sand beaches," Cassell said. "And you get to see the sea life against that black backdrop, so it makes for fantastic diving as well."

The dark sand beaches, the volcano, the green hills – for the people of Montserrat, these are the things that make their island home.

"If you grow up in a country you love … it's hard to trade it for something else," Montserrat resident Danny Sweeney said. "You know for yourself that this is where you want to be."