THREE RECENT DISASTERS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED

Nevado Del Ruiz Colombia 13 November 1985

The Armero tragedy resulted from the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano on Wednesday 13 November 1985, affecting the departments of Caldas and Tolima in Colombia. After sixty-nine years of inactivity, the eruption took nearby villages by surprise in the night, even though the government had received warnings from multiple volcanological agencies since the first signs of volcanic activity appeared in September 1985.

The magmatic energy emitted by the volcano melted 10% of the mountain’s glacier, sending four lahars – flows of mud, earth and debris produced by volcanic activity – down the slopes of Nevado at 80 km/h. The lahars increased in speed, and the volcanic eruption was followed by a volcanic eruption. The lahars increased their speed in the ravines and headed towards the beds of the six rivers originating in the volcano. The town of Armero, located just under 50 km from the volcano, was hit by the lahars, killing more than 20 000 of its 29 000 inhabitants. Casualties in other towns, particularly in the municipalities of Chinchiná and Villamaría, raised the death toll to more than 23 000. Rescue efforts were hampered by the mud, which made it almost impossible to move without being trapped. By the time rescuers reached Armero, twelve hours after the eruption, many of the seriously injured victims had already died. Video footage and photographs were released around the world of Omayra Sanchez, a teenage victim of the tragedy, who was trapped for three days until she finally died. Other photographs of the disaster’s impact drew public attention and sparked controversy over the extent of the Colombian government’s responsibility for the catastrophe. This was the second deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century, second only to the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, and the fourth-deadliest volcanic event since 1500. More than 500 children were lost and are still being sought. The foundation www.armandoarmero.org is dedicated to finding them.

El fuego Guatemala – 3 june 2018

The eruption of the Fuego volcano was a volcanic event that occurred on the departmental boundary between Chimaltenango, Escuintla and Sacatepéquez in Guatemala on 3 June 2018. The eruption caused the death of more than 300 people and left several injured.
What made Guatemala’s Fuego Volcano eruption so deadly? On Sunday, Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego — “Volcano of Fire” — erupted violently, spewing ash nearly four miles into the air and burying villages under an avalanche-like phenomenon called a pyroclastic flow.

Anak Krakatau Indonesian Tsunami – 22 December 2018

The tsunami was caused by an underwater landslide that followed the eruption of Anak Krakatau, the “Child of Krakatoa”. On 23 December 2018, it was discovered that much of the island of Anak Krakatau had collapsed into the sea. Located on the Ring of Fire, Indonesia experiences a high frequency of earthquakes and is home to 127 active volcanoes. On 22 December 2018, a tsunami following the eruption and partial collapse of the Anak Krakatau volcano in the Sunda Strait hit several coastal regions of Banten in Java and Lampung in Sumatra, Indonesia. At least 426 people were killed and 14,059 injured.