Wednesday, September 22, 2021

EXPANDING THE ISLAND
Canaries volcano razes hundreds of buildings as lava creeps to sea


Issued on: 22/09/2021 
Although there have been no casualties, the damage to land and property has been enormous
DESIREE MARTIN AFP

Los Llanos de Aridane (Spain) (AFP)

A vast wall of molten lava creeping down the slopes of Spain's La Palma island has now destroyed 320 buildings, as distraught residents watched the flow inching towards the sea on Wednesday.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Sunday in the south of La Palma, one of seven islands that make up the Canary Islands archipelago off the coast of Morocco.

The EU's Copernicus observation programme said the lava now covered 154 hectares and had destroyed 320 buildings, double the figure it had given 24 hours earlier.

Experts are expecting the number to rise as the slow-moving mass slides towards the island's western coast, when its interaction with the sea is likely to cause explosions and trigger toxic gas emissions.

So far, 6,100 people have been evacuated, among them 400 tourists who were taken to the neighbouring island of Tenerife, the Canaries regional government said.

Although there have been no casualties, the damage to land and property has been enormous, with the Canaries regional head Angel Victor Torres estimating the figures to be well over 400 million euros ($470 million).

In a desperate attempt to divert the flow, firefighters could be seen using heavy machinery to dig a channel towards a nearby ravine as the advancing lava glowed in the background.

Canary Islands volcano eruption destroys 320 buildings Patricio ARANA AFP

"It's not for a want of trying," they tweeted alongside a video of the digger hard at work.

- 'Battle of titans' -


Experts working on the Pevolca volcanic emergency plan say there are two lava flows: one to the north and one further south, which is barely moving.

David Calvo, an expert with the Involcan volcanology institute, said the lava had "slowed down a lot because it is reaching a very flat area but it is gaining height. There are areas where it is already 15 metres thick".

If the lava -- which has a temperature of 1,100 degrees Celsius (2,012 degrees Fahrenheit) -- continues to move at the same pace, it will reach the sea later on Wednesday or possibly Thursday.

When the lava reaches the shore, it will send clouds of acidic, toxic gas into the air DESIREE MARTIN AFP

And when it gets there, there will be "a huge battle of the titans between the water and the lava," he said.

"With those contrasting temperatures, it causes massive explosions and a fragmentation of the lava which shoots out like missiles."


- Exploding fragments -

Involcan experts witnessed the same phenomenon in 2018 at the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii where 16 people were hurt by the explosion of fragments and one person "almost lost a leg", he said.

When the lava reaches the shore, it will also send clouds of acidic, toxic gas into the air, generated by the interaction with the seawater, which can be dangerous to inhale, experts say.

The volcano was also putting out some 10,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions per day which showed "the pace, the intensity of the eruption is not going to decrease", Calvo said.

Involcan believes the eruption of La Cumbre Vieja could last "between 24 and 84 days".

The eruption on this island of some 85,000 people, the first in 50 years, may have caused huge damages over a vast area, but so far nobody has been hurt.

"Dealing with this crisis won't end when the lava reaches the sea," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.

"It will end when we've managed to rebuild everything the volcano has destroyed and will destroy."

© 2021 AFP


EXPLAINER: Wide dangers ahead for Spanish volcanic island


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FILE - In this Monday Sept. 20, 2021 file photo, lava erupts from a volcano near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain. A long-dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday Sept. 19, 2021, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface. (Kike Rincon/Europa Press via AP, File)

MADRID (AP) — A small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean is struggling days after a volcano erupted, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, and authorities are warning that more dangers from the explosion lie ahead.

Here is a look at the volcanic eruption on La Palma and its consequences:














WHERE DID THE VOLCANO ERUPT?

The eruption occurred Sunday afternoon on La Palma, one of eight volcanic islands in Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago, which is strung along Africa’s northwestern coast. It was the second volcanic eruption in 50 years for the island, which has a population of 85,000.

A 4.2-magnitude quake was recorded before the eruption. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. Unstoppable rivers of molten lava, some up to 6 meters (20 feet) high, are now flowing downhill toward the ocean, engulfing everything in their path.

The Canary Islands are a volcanic hot spot popular with European tourists due to their mild year-round climate. Mount Teide, on the nearby island of Tenerife, is one of the world’s tallest volcanoes and Spain’s highest mountain. On La Palma, people live mostly from farming.



WHAT CAUSED THE ERUPTION?

Scientists had been closely monitoring a build-up of underground magma in La Palma for a week before the eruption, detecting more than 20,000 earthquakes — most too small to be felt. That is known as an “earthquake swarm” and can indicate an approaching eruption.

Three days before the eruption, the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute reported that 11 million cubic meters (388 million cubic feet) of molten rock had been pushed into Cumbre Vieja.

After the 4.2-magnitude earthquake, two fissures belched bright red magma into the air. The lava flowed in streams down the mountain slope.



HOW BAD HAS THE DAMAGE BEEN?

The close scientific monitoring meant that authorities were able to quickly evacuate people when the volcano erupted and no casualties have been reported.

But the damage to property, infrastructure and farmland has been considerable. So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people. The molten rock has also entombed banana groves, vineyards and crops of avocado and papaya. Some irrigation networks have been lost, groundwater contaminated and roads blocked.

The rivers of lava are now moving toward the island’s more populated coast and the Atlantic Ocean, where they could cause new problems.



WHAT ARE THE DANGERS NOW?

Authorities say residents face a host of dangers in the coming days and weeks.

When the lava reaches the Atlantic Ocean, it could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Scientists monitoring the lava measured it at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit). In the island’s last eruption in 1971, one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava hit the water.

Earthquakes on the island have continued, rattling nervous residents. A new fissure opened late Monday after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake, and began spewing more lava. Scientists say more new lava vents and cracks in the earth could emerge, endangering new areas.

The volcano has been producing between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, the Volcanology Institute said. Sulfur dioxide is smelly and irritates the skin, eyes, nose and throat. It can also cause acid rain and air pollution.

The eruption has also produced volcanic ash, which can cause respiratory problems. Authorities on La Palma told people in the wide areas where the ash was falling to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed.



HOW LONG WILL THE ERUPTION GO ON?

Scientists say the lava flows on La Palma could last for weeks or even months. The last eruption on the island, in 1971, went on for just over three weeks.

The last eruption on all of the Canary Islands occurred underwater off the coast of El Hierro island in 2011. It lasted five months.

‘My whole life in a van’: Islanders flee Spanish volcano

By ARITZ PARRA

1 of 16


Lava from a volcano eruption flows on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. The volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Experts say the volcanic eruption and its aftermath on a Spanish island could last for up to 84 days. The Canary Island Volcanology Institute said Wednesday it based its calculation on the length of previous eruptions on the archipelago. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)


TODOQUE, Canary Islands (AP) — A wall of lava up to 12 meters (40 feet) high bore down on a Spanish village Wednesday as islanders scrambled to save what they could before the molten rock swallowed up their homes following a volcanic eruption.

The lava, which was still spewing from Sunday’s eruption in the Canary Islands archipelago off northwest Africa, advanced slowly down hillsides of La Palma to the coast, where Todoque was the last village between it and the Atlantic Ocean. Residents hoping to save some belongings queued up so they could be escorted briefly into the village.

In the distance, the lava grew thicker and slowed down to 4 meters (13 feet) per hour after reaching a plain. Smoke poured out of its leading edge as it destroyed everything it touched.

Experts said the lava could either take several days to cover the remaining 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) to the sea or it could instead spread more widely on land, burying more residential areas and farmland.

Javier López said his house for the past three decades appeared to be in the lava’s path. He and his relatives had been staying at a friend’s house with the few documents, photos and basic belongings they had grabbed Monday as they were evacuated.

“I’ve put my whole life in a van,” López told The Associated Press, waiting for his turn to try to recover a vehicle and other valuables he had left behind.

“This is probably going to be the last time I see my home,” he said. “Or, in the best-case scenario, the house will remain isolated by the lava and inaccessible for who knows how long.”

Firefighting crews trying to save as many houses as possible worked nonstop to try to open a trench to divert the lava flow.



Melisa Rodríguez, another Todoque resident, was trying to stay positive and calm.

“It’s hard to think straight about what you want to save, but we are only allowed in for one hour and you don’t want to take longer because that would be taking time away from others,” she said.

The eruption was following an “expected pattern” but there were still many uncertainties, said Vicente Soler, a volcanologist with Spain’s top scientific body, CSIC.

“It is difficult to say if the lava will reach the sea,” he told the BTC broadcaster. “If the source remains active and with a steady flow, it will be easy for it to arrive at the ocean. But if there are new lava diversions, that will slow down the flow’s head.”

But authorities and locals were taking no chances. As the lava headed toward the island’s more densely populated coast, 1,000 people were evacuated late Tuesday from Todoque, bringing the total number of evacuated on the island of La Palma to over 6,800.

The few evacuees not staying with relatives or friends were being relocated Wednesday from a military barrack to a hotel, with the most vulnerable being moved to a nursing home. Island officials announced a plan to purchase unused housing to accommodate those who lost homes due to the eruption.

Speaking in New York after attending the U.N. General Assembly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said he was confident that local, national and European authorities would contribute to the response to the eruption and the area’s reconstruction.

Authorities say more dangers lie ahead for residents, including more earthquakes, possible new lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain. The lava, whose temperature exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), could cause explosions, trigger landslides and produce clouds of toxic gas when it hits the ocean.

As volcanic ash fell over a wide area, authorities advised people to keep children inside as much as possible due to possible breathing difficulties.

The volcanic eruption and its aftermath could last for up to 84 days, the Canary Island Volcanology Institute said, basing its calculation on previous eruptions in the archipelago that were also followed by heavy lava flows and lasting seismic activity.

Tuesday night saw a sharp increase in the number of smaller volcanic eruptions that hurl rocks and cinders high into the air, it said.

The lava has swallowed up around 320 buildings so far and now covers 154 hectares (380 acres), the institute said. It has also ruined banana groves, vineyards and other crops. Prompt evacuations have helped avoid any casualties.

The volcano has also been spewing out up to 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide a day, which also affects the lungs, it said.

Life on the rest of La Palma, which is roughly 35 kilometers (22 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide at its broadest point, has been largely unaffected, with undeterred tourists landing for previously scheduled holidays. Air traffic remained normal.

The Canary Islands are a popular destination for European tourists due to their mild year-round climate.

___

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.


Toxic gas, new rivers of molten lava endanger Spanish island


By ARITZ PARRA and RENATA BRITO yesterday


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Lava from a volcano eruption flows destroying houses on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. A dormant volcano on a small Spanish island in the Atlantic Ocean erupted on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people. Huge plumes of black-and-white smoke shot out from a volcanic ridge where scientists had been monitoring the accumulation of molten lava below the surface.
 (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

EL PASO, Canary Islands (AP) — As a new volcanic vent blew open and unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowed toward the sea, authorities on a Spanish island warned Tuesday that more dangers lie ahead for residents, including earthquakes, lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain.

Several small earthquakes shook the island of La Palma in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa on Tuesday, keeping nerves on edge after a volcanic eruption on Sunday. The island, with a population of 85,000, is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, a key tourist destination for Europeans.

Authorities said the new fissure demonstrated that the area was unstable and unsafe, and kept people at least 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) away.

The rivers of lava, up to six meters (nearly 20 feet) high, rolled down hillsides, burning and crushing everything in their path, as they gradually closed in on the island’s more densely populated coast. One was bearing down on Todoque, where more than 1,000 people live, and where emergency services were preparing evacuations.

So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people.

“The truth is that it’s a tragedy to see people losing their properties,” said municipal worker Fernando Díaz in the town of El Paso.

The lava’s advance has slowed to about 120 meters (400 feet) an hour, according to the head of the Canary Island Volcanic Emergency Plan, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, and wasn’t expected to reach the Atlantic Ocean before Wednesday.

Canary Islands government chief Ángel Víctor Torres said “when (the lava) reaches the sea, it will be a critical moment.”

The meeting of the lava, whose temperature exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), with a body of water could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Torres asked locals to remember the island’s last eruption in 1971, when one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava met the water.

A change in the wind direction blew the ashes from the volcano across a vast area on the western side of the island, with the black particles blanketing everything. Volcanic ash is an irritant for the eyes and lungs.

The volcano has also been spewing out between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide — which also affects the lungs — every day, the Volcanology Institute said.

Adding to the dangers, the emergence of new cracks in the earth spewing lava cannot be ruled out, said Nemesio Pérez, head of the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, who noted there is “important superficial seismic activity in the area.”

The new fissure that appeared Monday night is 900 meters (3,000 feet) north of the Cumbre Vieja ridge, where the volcano first erupted Sunday after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. That earthquake swarm warned authorities that an eruption was likely and allowed many people to be evacuated, avoiding casualties.

The new fissure opened after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake.

Scientists say the lava flows could last for weeks or months.

Torres described the lava-hit region as a “catastrophe zone” and said he would request money to rebuild roads, water pipes and create temporary accommodations for families who have lost their homes as well as their farmland.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are to visit the area on Thursday.

___

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.


Canary islanders flee as volcano vents its fury

Issued on: 20/09/2021 
Evacuations from residential areas flanking the volcano had go on through the night
 DESIREE MARTIN AFP

Los Llanos de Aridane (Spain) (AFP)

Throwing a handful of belongings into her car alongside goats, chickens and a turtle, Yahaira Garcia fled her home just before the volcano erupted, belching molten lava down the mountainside.

She and her husband, who live near the Bodegon Tamanca winery at the foot of La Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, decided to leave on Sunday afternoon just before the eruption kicked off.

"We decided to leave even before they gave the evacuation order after a really terrible night of earthquakes... my house shook so much it felt like it was going to collapse," the 34-year-old told AFP by phone.

"We were on our way when we realised the volcano had erupted." He left in his car and she took hers to go and pick up her parents and their animals: four goats, two pigs, 20 chickens, 10 rabbits, four dogs and a turtle.

Police shot video of the slow collapse of a building as the walls caved in under a wall of red hot lava 
DESIREE MARTIN AFP

"I am nervous, worried, but we are safe," Garcia said.

In residential areas flanking the volcano, hundreds of police and Guardia civil officers were charged with evacuations, with the work continuing well into the night, police footage showed.

"This is the police. This is not a drill, please vacate your homes," they shouted through loud speakers, their vehicles flashing blue lights on the drove through the dark streets.

Elsewhere, the footage showed officers evacuating goats in pick-up trucks in an area which is above all agricultural.

They also filmed the slow collapse of a building whose walls caved in under a wall of red hot lava.

- '700 metres from our home' -

Although some 5,500 people have been evacuated and "around 100 homes destroyed", there have so far been no reports of injuries.

As the lava beat an unstoppable path down the mountainside, Angie Chaux, who wasn't home when the alarm was raised, rushed back to try and salvage some possessions.

Experts don't know how long the volcano will remain active nor when the flow of lava will stop
 DESIREE MARTIN AFP

"When we got there, the road was closed and the police gave us three minutes to get our things," said the 27-year-old.

It was 4:30 am and there were people and cars everywhere.

"Right now, we're watching the news and the lava is 700 metres from our home. I'm really worried because I don't know what's going to happen to it."

Miriam Moreno, another local resident, said they had been ready to leave when the order came with emergency backpacks stocked with food and water.

"You can hear a rumble as if planes were flying overhead and see smoke out of the window although at night you could actually see the lava about two kilometres away," she said, admitting they were worried about "toxic gases".

Evacuees face an anguished wait with no-one sure when they will be able to go home -- or what they will find when they get there 
DESIREE MARTIN AFP

- Anguished wait -


For the evacuees, it is an anguished wait to see what happens with no-one sure when they will be able to go home -- or what they will find when they get there.

"The worst of it is the anxiety about losing your home. My house on the beach is fine for the moment but I don't know when I'll be able to go back," said 70-year-old Montserrat Lorenzo from the coastal village of El Remo.

And experts do not know how long the volcano will remain active nor when the flow of lava, which officials said was "about six metres (20 feet) high", will stop.

"Now they are saying the volcano could continue erupting for three months... we don't know when the volcano will settle down," said Garcia.

"There are volcanoes in the Canary Islands that have erupted for days and others that have continued for several years," he told Spain's public television.

© 2021 AFP
  

Toxic gas, new rivers of molten lava endanger Spanish island

EL PASO, Canary Islands (AP) — As a new volcanic vent blew open and unstoppable rivers of molten rock flowed toward the sea, authorities on a Spanish island warned Tuesday that more dangers lie ahead for residents, including earthquakes, lava flows, toxic gases, volcanic ash and acid rain.

© Provided by The Canadian Press



Lava from a volcano eruption flows destroying houses on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Several small earthquakes shook the island of La Palma in the Atlantic Ocean off northwest Africa on Tuesday, keeping nerves on edge after a volcanic eruption on Sunday. The island, with a population of 85,000, is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, a key tourist destination for Europeans.

Authorities said the new fissure demonstrated that the area was unstable and unsafe, and kept people at least 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) away.

The rivers of lava, up to six meters (nearly 20 feet) high, rolled down hillsides, burning and crushing everything in their path, as they gradually closed in on the island's more densely populated coast. One was bearing down on Todoque, where more than 1,000 people live, and where emergency services were preparing evacuations.

So far, the eruption has destroyed around 190 houses and forced the evacuation of 6,000 people.

“The truth is that it’s a tragedy to see people losing their properties,” said municipal worker Fernando Díaz in the town of El Paso.

The lava’s advance has slowed to about 120 meters (400 feet) an hour, according to the head of the Canary Island Volcanic Emergency Plan, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, and wasn't expected to reach the Atlantic Ocean before Wednesday.

Canary Islands government chief Ángel Víctor Torres said “when (the lava) reaches the sea, it will be a critical moment.”

The meeting of the lava, whose temperature exceeds 1,000 degrees Celsius (more than 1,800 F), with a body of water could cause explosions and produce clouds of toxic gas. Torres asked locals to remember the island's last eruption in 1971, when one person died after inhaling the gas emitted as lava met the water.

A change in the wind direction blew the ashes from the volcano across a vast area on the western side of the island, with the black particles blanketing everything. Volcanic ash is an irritant for the eyes and lungs.

The volcano has also been spewing out between 8,000 and 10,500 tons of sulfur dioxide — which also affects the lungs — every day, the Volcanology Institute said.

Adding to the dangers, the emergence of new cracks in the earth spewing lava cannot be ruled out, said Nemesio Pérez, head of the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute, who noted there is “important superficial seismic activity in the area."

The new fissure that appeared Monday night is 900 meters (3,000 feet) north of the Cumbre Vieja ridge, where the volcano first erupted Sunday after a week of thousands of small earthquakes. That earthquake swarm warned authorities that an eruption was likely and allowed many people to be evacuated, avoiding casualties.

The new fissure opened after what the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute said was a 3.8-magnitude quake.

Scientists say the lava flows could last for weeks or months.

Torres described the lava-hit region as a “catastrophe zone” and said he would request money to rebuild roads, water pipes and create temporary accommodations for families who have lost their homes as well as their farmland.

Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia are to visit the area on Thursday.

___

Barry Hatton contributed from Lisbon, Portugal.

Aritz Parra And Renata Brito, The Associated Press


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