Posted on 02/07/2008 1:28:23 PM PST by Red Badger
Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano shot columns of ash miles into the air on Wednesday, as officials ordered the evacuation of 3,000 villagers living near its slopes.
About a thousand villagers from the western flanks of the 16,575-foot (5,000-meter) volcano fled their homes for shelters at dawn, said Roberto Rodriguez, director of civil defense. He said 11 families who refused to leave, fearing looters, were removed by force.
"We've taken all of the precautions possible," President Rafael Correa told reporters on Wednesday, adding that a state of emergency already in place in the area will be extended for 60 days.
Juan Salazar, the mayor of the nearby village of Penipe, said 3,000 people needed to be evacuated—a figure that included the thousand villagers who had already fled.
Experts at the Geophysics Institute warn that the intense activity shows no sign of slowing down, and compared it to the massive 2006 Tungurahua eruptions that buried entire villages, leaving at least four dead and thousands homeless.
"The volcano has entered a new explosive eruption cycle, a process which does not seem to be slowing down," said Hugo Yepez, director of the Geophysics Institute.
The institute said Wednesday's eruptions shot ash 6 miles (10 kilometers) into the air.
Populations on Tungurahua's western flank have been most affected, particularly the communities of Bilbao, Cusua, Chacauco, and Puela. The nearby popular tourist town of Banos is currently not at risk.
There were no reported victims, according to Rodriguez, the civil defense director.
Ash billowing from Tungurahua, whose name means "throat of fire" in the local indigenous Quichua language, has already covered thousands of acres of farmland, destroying property, crops, and livestock.
Tungurahua, located 95 miles southeast of the capital of Quito, has been active since 1999.
Bush’s fault!
Quick call Al Gore, he can put his fat ass over the crater making sure no more carbon emission get out.
Wrath of God..... Hugo’s fault
Wrath of God..... Hugo’s fault
Can the country afford all those carbon credits?
Can the country afford all those carbon credits?
Why can’t we have one of those things in Washington, DC?
Well , I remember well the really cold summer after Pinatubo blew her stack in '91 - and it took 2-3 years for summers to be real summers again.
I don't know about you = but this winter in the northeast has been very long and very cold - I was banking on a warm summer -
Sure! They just trade tons of cocaine for all they need!.........
All that “volcanic ash” piled up around your house looks like coke............Well, the volcano IS in Ecuador..............
John McCains's speech at CPAC?.....
Volcanoes that erupt near the equator have more disruption on the weather because of the dust and ash than ones near the poles. The wind patterns distribute the dust and ash very effectively around the globe and they would block the sunlight where it’s most intense for a bigger area, than say, something in Alaska, or even like Mt St Helens.
This one looks to be spewing lots of stuff.....
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080107-ecuador-video-ap.html
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