Beauty and Ashes

Fuego Volcano-Tuesday September 11, 2012

Tuesday September 11th I witnessed Volcán Fuego, an active volcano roughly 10 miles from Antigua, begin spewing dark smoke in the early morning. It is usually no surprise since smoke is frequently released, but the dark grey color was ominous of a much bigger eruption.

Fuego Volcano, view from Ciudad Vieja, September 13, 2012

Thursday morning September 13, 2012 social media is in a frenzy with photos of a huge eruption caused by the Fire Volcano in Guatemala. It was a beautiful sight from Antigua, Ciudad Vieja, and Escuintla but a frightening reality for the villages closest to the volcano. CONRED, known as Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (the National Coordinator for the Reduction of Disasters) had declared an orange alert, which means dangerous conditions. According to the Prensa Libre, roughly 33,000 residents were evacuated from the following villages:

Sangre de Cristo, Panimaché

Morelia, Panimaché

El Porvenir, Escuintla

San Juan Alotenango, Sacatepéquez

San Pedro Yepocapa, Chimaltenango

The volcano ejected ash 3,000 meters from the crater with ash and lava that flowed southwest and east, covering about 500 meters.

Social network users indicated that the ash had reached Santiago Atitlan and San Lucas Toliman, Solola, Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, Escuintla, Mazatenango, Suchitepéquez, Retalhuleu and Quetzaltenango. 

According to CNN, the Red Cross set up ten shelters each able to house some 200 people which were opened in the affected villages. CONRED prepared shelters in Escuintla, Santa Lucia and San Pedro Yepocapa Cotzumalguapa, Chimaltenango. The evacuees also received aide from the Red Cross.

Right out of my front door was the Fuego Volcano. The only difference between me and the 33,000 who were evacuated was the direction of the wind. It blew away from me even though there was a faint smell of smoke. Each time I drove through San Juan Alotenango to go through Escuintla, I passed the small villages nestled at the foot of the Fuego Volcano. Homes with tin roofs and peasant families. I wondered to myself, if I had to be evacuated, where would I go? And what would life be like if my humble home was damaged by fiery rocks? Then came to mind all the people who had to evacuate in a rush. Families with small children, the elderly, pregnant women. Would the eruption affect their farms, hurting them financially? The health of their animals which they use to feed themselves with? Some of the men stayed behind in the villages to make sure their properties were not damaged. Did they inhale any ash or toxic gases? 

According to http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/health/ there are serious side effects from a volcanic eruption. Heavy ash fall may result in the collapse of roofs under the weight of ash and high levels of respirable ash in the air (ash particles less than 10 microns in diameter). The collapse of roofs can be deadly for people within buildings. Ash and coarser particles inhaled from within a hot, dense pyroclastic flow or surge almost always results in death from burns or asphyxiation. People exposed to ash fall and subsequent ash-filled air commonly experience various eye, nose, and throat symptoms.

Due to 54% of the population being below the poverty line according to the CIA Factbook, many families cannot afford to see a doctor or pay for medical treatments. 

The following photos are courtesy of CONRED and feature the evacuated at shelters & humanitarian aide that was provided:

http://youtu.be/ujnHBDk_GUI