|
|||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Food |
|
Communities start emergency plans for the increasing activity of the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano |
|
 By the A.M. Costa Rica
staff
Faced with the constant activity of the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste*, the technical team of the National Emergency Commission moved to the communities that are located near the national park that surrounds the mountain. Specialist are helping to review the emergency plan together with the representatives of the municipal committees of emergencies. According to the commission, the decision to visit the communities is due to the last eruptions of the volcano the previous week that caused the flood of materials into the Pénjamo and Azufrada rivers. During the visit of the specialists the commission said "an inspection was carried out to know the state of the river beds, and together with the mayor of Upala*, Juan Bosco Acevedo, and communal representatives the goal was the review of organization needs for the emergency plan can be develop in the communities of Gavilán and Buenos Aires." In addition, the specialists met in Buenos Aires in Upala* with several organizations such as: municipal representatives, the livestock committee, the community association, the development association of Buenos Aires, representatives of the community of Gavilán, with the objective of informing about the current condition of the volcano and preparing a community emergency plan." According to Alexander Solís, president of the commission, "as part of the immediate actions, the communications network between the communities will be re-established through the maintenance and repair of two more communication equipment." Monday and Tuesday there were no eruptions, but the scientists continued monitoring. According to Guillermo Alvarado, volcanologist of the commission "from June to December this volcano showed at least two to five monthly eruptions." Alvarado also confirmed that during January, the activity intensified, registering seven eruptions. The strongest were Thursday and Sunday. The experts of the commission urged residents to be alert because the eruptions cause currents of mud to pour from the slopes of the volcano and even pyroclastic flows. The last strong eruption of the Rincón de la Vieja Volcano in Guanacaste* was at 1:26 a.m. Sunday. The eruption lasted five minutes, and incandescent rocks were seen falling from the crater. Mudslides, called lahars, entered the Pénjamo, Azúl and Azufrada rivers. A lahar, is a violent flow of pyroclastic material, rocky debris and water. These eruptive events are phreatomagmatic, that is to say, explosions occur because the magmatic gas interacts with the active crater acid lake, as well as occasionally, small amounts of magma rise and hit the lake, generating even more violent explosions. |
 National Emergency Commission courtesy photo Specialist are helping to review the emergency plan together with the representatives of the municipal committees of emergencies. According to the rangers of the organization Volcano Without Borders, this new eruption was heard more than 8 kilometers away, in the towns of Gavilán and Buenos Aires in Upala*. "One of the neighbors reported from the town of Gavilán the exit of incandescent rocks, which corresponds to pyroclastic rocks ejected in ballistic form, which reached 500 meters away and could exceed 150 kilometers and hour," said the specialists. In relation to the rivers near the volcano, the park rangers reported that another lahar changed the coloration of the Niño and the Pénjamo rivers to milky gray with a strong smell of sulfur. Rocks up to 40 centimeters were suspended in the flow, which generated a strong sound as it went downstream and caused a drastic increase in the level of water. The level in the Pénjamo River increased more than four meters suddenly, and the river expanded more than six meters to each side. Also the Niño River in the town of Burma 15 kilometers from the volcano, changed to a grayish color and increased its acidity. There was a sulfur smell. Killed were sardines and fresh water crabs, who sustained burns. "The death of aquatic fauna such as the family Pseudothelphusidae (freshwater crabs) and fish of the family Chacaridae (sardines) with eyes and gills burned were observed again. They were without scales, and the skin was partially burned. In the margins of the different affected rivers gray mud and yellowish layers were seen," said park rangers. ---- Should the Government begin the process of moving people from the area near the volcano to a safer place? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com *Click on the blue letters to reach the place in google maps. |
       |
