Soufrière Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat began erupting in July 1995, eventually destroying the capital city of Plymouth and rendering two-thirds of the island uninhabitable. The ongoing eruption displaced most of Montserrat's population, many of whom emigrated to the United Kingdom. Plymouth remains buried under volcanic deposits, often called the 'Pompeii of the Caribbean.'

The Soufrière Hills eruption profoundly affected Montserratian identity and diaspora literature, with poets like E.A. Markham and Lawrence Jackson exploring themes of exile, loss, and Caribbean belonging. The destruction of Plymouth and forced migration appear in Caribbean poetry addressing displacement, colonial legacies, and the fragility of small island states, contributing to broader postcolonial literary conversations about home, memory, and environmental vulnerability.