When in 1984 the Nevado del Ruiz began to register earthquakes and the expulsion of ash stronger than normal, it was classified as a “non-risk” activity, this 2023 all contingency plans have been activated.
News Colombia.
This March 30, 2023, a piece of news has brought to the memory of Colombians the painful panorama of November 13, 1985, when Nevado del Ruiz erupted and devastated Armero, 36 years later there is an orange alert due to high seismic activity and ash expulsion.
With Armero, there were no preventive plans.
When the emergency occurred in Armero: “There was nothing left,” said the Señal Colombia journalist.
When in 1984 that snowfall began to register earthquakes and ash ejection stronger than normal, it was classified as a “non-risk” activity, 12 months later, it devastated the place.
Once again, Armero -less populated and largely unreconstructed- is one of the areas at risk from a possible new eruption. This municipality is located 50 kilometers from the volcano.
Do not repeat Armero, Nevado del Ruiz on orange alert
This time, 2023, the government, relief agencies and citizens have activated their contingency plans.
There are already preventive evacuations in nearby towns.
In the municipality of Murillo, in Tolima, one of the closest towns to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, classes were suspended in six schools and tourist activity in the area was prohibited. Four other departments: Caldas, Risaralda, Quindío and Cundinamarca, are taking measures, because there could be a strong eruption.
could erupt
This time, it is the same Colombian Geological Service and the Risk Management Unit, who warn of a possible emergency.
A few hours ago, it went from yellow alert to orange, “this level indicates that in days or weeks the Nevado del Ruiz volcano could erupt a major eruption to those it has done in the last decade.”
What set alarm bells ringing was the comprehensive evaluation of the parameters monitored by
the SGC, and the seismic events registered during the last days, “located at a distance from the crater between 2 and 5 kilometers with depths between 2 and 4 kilometers from the top”.
It had an increase in activity and on March 29, there were more earthquakes than in the entire history of monitoring since 1985.
Call for prevention…
The general director of the UNGRD, Javier Pava Sánchez, calls on the government authorities, “the necessary preventive actions can be taken to
timely manner.”
In the last 24 hours, there have been at least 9,600 earthquakes.
Authorities have been meeting in an extraordinary way for hours, to activate contingency plans. In some populations, they are evacuating preventively.
The Nevado del Ruiz has been registering more than “normal” activity in the last decade and between 2022 and so far in 2023, it has intensified.
There has been a strong fall of ash in nearby towns.
???????? They return tourists who want to enter the Los Nevados National Park. The park was closed preventively due to the increase in seismic activity of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano.
???? Courtesy Freddy Arango newspaper La Patria for El País pic.twitter.com/7yile7AT3h
– Antioquia Complaints (@DenunciasAntio2) March 31, 2023
Now that everyone is talking about Nevado del Ruiz, I am sharing some photographs that I have taken of sunrises and small ash eruptions from Manizales. pic.twitter.com/Carb70aCsb
– Juan Daniel (@jujuandaniel_) March 31, 2023
