All articles tagged with #lahars
About 250 residents were evacuated from the slopes of Guatemala's Volcano of Fire as red-hot rock and ash flowed down the slopes toward an area devastated by a deadly 2018 eruption. The volcano had been emitting ash clouds that could affect as many as 100,000 people in communities around the peak. The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns.
About 250 residents have been evacuated from the slopes of Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire as red-hot rock and ash flowed down the slopes toward an area devastated by a deadly 2018 eruption. The volcano had been emitting ash clouds that could affect as many as 100,000 people in communities around the peak. The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns.
The Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia has been on orange alert since March 30, indicating that an eruption is likely within days or weeks. While local and national authorities have declared a state of emergency and ordered evacuations, many farmers are refusing to leave their homes and livestock behind. The volcano's last massive eruption in 1985 killed over 23,000 people in a matter of minutes. The slopes of the Nevado del Ruiz are fertile grounds for local farmers, who say leaving their cattle behind would ruin them. Eruptions from the volcano can be particularly lethal because the top of the peak is permanently capped by a layer of snow and ice, which would instantly melt and cause lahars.