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Living in a rain of ash

2021-09-29T01:51:17.519Z


Santa Cruz de La Palma and other municipalities on the island are covered with black sand, coming from the volcano, which is uncomfortable but not harmful to health. The airport reopens after cleaning


Although the volcano is on the other side of the mountain range, in Santa Cruz de La Palma, the capital of the Canary Island where the eruption occurred, two of its immediate effects are noticeable.

The first is that a dull but continuous rumbling is heard, which never stops and reminds anyone who stops to listen to what is happening in the other part of La Palma.

The second is that you live under a real ash rain blown by the wind from the volcano's plume of smoke, located just over 10 kilometers (in a straight line).

More information

  • The day after the hecatomb on the La Palma volcano

  • Home to home map of the volcano advance

In fact, the ash accumulated on the runways forced the La Palma airport to close on Saturday.

After cleaning them, it has reopened this Sunday, but there are companies, such as the Canary Islands Binter, that do not fly yet because they consider that the amount is still excessive.

The roads that link the island also present an unusual appearance, also full of layers of ash.

At first glance you cannot see falling, but you only have to go outside to notice the slight pecks on the arms, on the face, on the bare parts without clothes. Apparently, it has the same consistency as normal rain, but at the moment it is noticed that it does not cool. Afterwards, the hair is instantly smeared with this kind of dirt that is difficult to shake off, even in the shower. The sidewalks and driveway are painted entirely very dark brown, black. The owners of the terraces need to take out the umbrellas - which in a short time are also sooty - and no one is exposed to having a coffee or a beer outside without being covered. People go with caps, hats and many pull umbrellas, basically the most practical way to walk this Sunday morning through Santa Cruz de la Palma and other municipalities on the island such as Breña Alta,Breña Baja, Villa de Mazo and Puntallana, due to a dominant high wind that comes from the southwest from 1,400 meters, as explained this Sunday by the technical director of the Volcanic Emergency Plan of the Canary Islands (Pevolca), Miguel Ángel Morcuende.

On the slopes of the volcano, as calculated by geologists and volcanologists, the ash layer can already reach half a meter high.

In the city, one night is enough for the hood of a car or the patio of a house to present a finger.

Before entering stores or houses, it is advisable to shake your arms and hands and clean your shoes so as not to fill everything with sand.

People with umbrellas protect themselves from the ash rain in Santa Cruz de La Palma.Samuel Sánchez

"The air quality is still good," stressed Morcuende.

"The ashfall does not affect health."

The spokesman has warned, that yes, that it is advisable to take extreme precautions with the handling of ashes to avoid problems of affection to the bronchi and the eyes.

Thus, the Canary Islands Government recommends staying indoors, with closed doors and windows, especially for people with lung or heart diseases, pregnant women, minors and the elderly. If you have to go outside, this same body recommends wearing a FPP2 mask and protective glasses. If the wind blows the ash into the eyes, the irritation is truly annoying. For its part, the Cabildo asks residents to limit themselves to sweeping the ashes without mixing them with water, as they could clog the sewers. Afterwards, they must deposit them in a separate bag so that they are conveniently collected.

The ash also threatens the banana harvest.

And much of the fodder for the animals is spoiling.

In fact, this Sunday a shipment of this type of food arrived from other islands.

The good part is that these ashes, which on the one hand ruin crops, will later fertilize the soil because they store a large amount of nutrients.

A mayor of a town in the area commented on Friday: “This is a land of volcanoes.

What the volcano takes from you, the volcano gives you back ”.


Source: elparis

All life articles on 2021-09-29

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