Saturday, October 2, 2021

Lava flows from new chimney
Curfew due to volcanic gases in La Palma

Two weeks after its reawakening, Cumbre Vieja La Palma is still in a state of emergency. New chimneys not only release lava, but potentially hazardous gases as well. Thousands of people should no longer step out of their homes.

On the Canary island of La Palma, about 3500 people are not allowed to leave their homes due to health-threatening gases from a volcanic eruption. “The new curfew is a result of meteorological conditions,” the disaster service said. Weather conditions prevented the gases from evaporating. Instead, the emissions would be channeled to the lower parts of the atmosphere. People in the affected areas of the island are asked to keep windows and doors closed and to turn off the air conditioning.

A new vent opened on the volcano on Friday, from which lava came out. Volcanologist Miguel ngel Morcuende spoke of “intense activities”. So far, about 6,000 people have been evacuated from the endangered areas around the Cumbre Vieja volcano. About 800 buildings have been destroyed since the outbreak on 19 September. However, of the approximately 83,000 islands, very few are affected by the eruptions. “Less than eight percent of the island is affected by volcanoes,” Morcuende said. The rest lead a normal life. Air traffic to and from the island has resumed.

La Palma was declared a disaster area on Tuesday. According to regional government estimates, the damage is already in the hundreds of millions of euros. With the first eruption since 1971, the unnamed volcano has been emitting large amounts of rocks, lava, smoke and ash almost continuously since 19 September. Even experts cannot say how long it will remain active. This may take weeks or months.