La Palma Volcano Continues To Wreak Havoc
Spanish authorities updated the world on the latest destruction caused by the La Palma volcano. On Saturday, they said there have still been no injuries or deaths from the eruption.
However, over 1,000 buildings have been destroyed by an excess of 80 million cubic meters of ash and lava. Around 1,700 acres of land have been entirely covered over in ash from the volcano.
La Palma is one of Spain’s Canary Islands that sits in the Atlantic Ocean. The volcano on La Palma was considered one of the most active of the islands after more than 22,000 seismic shocks were felt leading up to the eruption. Many residents said they weren’t expecting it.
“This has been very stressful, especially for the elderly and for my generation that has never experienced this,” said one resident on the island. “My parents didn’t go to the information center, they came to our house. Now we are waiting for information from authorities to see what we do in the next hours.”
📷 This image taken by @CopernicusEU #Sentinel2 on 30 September 2021, shows the flow of lava from the volcano erupting on the Spanish island of La Palma 👉https://t.co/aqVtFYBRt8pic.twitter.com/T6Vzsij0Fk
— ESA (@esa) October 1, 2021
Authorities said residents would continue to face the dangers from the volcano in the coming weeks. Additionally, scientists have said the flows of lava could last for weeks and possibly months.
As of the first day of October, more destruction was feared as lava begun flowing out of two new vents from the volcano. Rivers of molten rock slid downhill from the new fissures on Friday, flowing along a more than 50 acre path into the Atlantic Ocean.
Lava has continued to spew nearly two weeks after the volcano first erupted, prompting the evacuation of more than 6,000 people. Residents have been asked to wear eye protection and face masks against heavy falls of volcanic ash, with some even carrying umbrellas.
In the meantime, Spanish officials have vowed to provide aid to the island after recently assessing the damage done exceeds $460 million.
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