The 28March to 22 April 1999 eruption ofMount Cameroon volcano in southwest Cameroon occurred frommultiple
vents along fissures at two sites. Vents opened first at the upper site 1 (2650 m) and were more explosive
than vents at the lower site 2 (1500m), which were more effusive. Earthquakes, lava flows, tephra fall, ballistics
and gas emissions affected the volcano's west and south flanks, including forests, plantations, stock animals,
water supplies, coastal communities and their people. Through an analysis of existing published data and new
interview data, we provide an overview of the environmental, social and economic consequences of these hazards
on infrastructure, human health, and socio-economic and agricultural activities of the four coastal communitiesmost
affected by the eruption: Batoke, Bakingili,Debundscha and Idenau. The collected data provide amore
detailed description of the short- and long-term direct and indirect effects of the eruption and response than has
been provided to date. Sedimentation of tephra and ballistics from site 1 produced both short-term and longlasting
impacts on people, through the contamination of plants and water supplies, which induced impacts on
human health and commercial activities. A ~9.2 km long lava flow erupted from site 2 received significant
short-termattention as it severed the only arterial coastal highway, forced the evacuation of some 600 residents
of Bakingili, and interrupted commerce between communities. The agricultural sector also suffered due to burning
of crops and soils. The only obvious significant benefit of the eruption appears to be that the long lava flowhas
become a tourist attraction, responsible for bringing in money for food, drink and lodging. However, the longterm
cascading effects caused by the hazards have proven to be more severe than the immediate direct and indirect
effects during the eruption