This stop has been repeated several times in the last three months, before resuming each time a few days later, with the great disarray of the inhabitants of the island.
Le Monde
After a little more than three months of activity, the Cumbre Vieja volcano enters lethargy: the eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma officially ended. “Today the scientific committee can say [that] the eruption is over,” said Julio Pérez, the director of the volcanic emergency plan of the Canaries, at a press conference on Saturday, December 25th.
“there is no lava, no significant gas emission, no significant seismic jerks”, listed the manager, reminding that this eruption lasted “eighty-five days and eighteen hours “, since September 19th. It took ten consecutive days without visible sign of volcanic activity, time required according to the scientific experts, in order to assert that the episode was completed, while the end of the eruption was president several times in the last three months, before to resume each time a few days later, with the great disarray of the inhabitants of the island.
Dangerous Region
From now, the Cumbre Vieja is in lethargy, its lava torrents are black, frozen, hardened, and a layer of black sand – from the ash – settled as a veil on the place. It will take years or even a decade to clean, clear, rebuild and reappropriate this disfigured ground.
Experts have already warned: the area will remain dangerous for some time due to the persistence of toxic gas emissions and the fact that the lava will make a lot of time cool. Not to mention the risks of land collapse.
Volcanic activity is entered in the history of La Palma, which, like the other six islands of the Canaries Archipelago – located in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern coast of Africa – is of volcanic origin. However, it was the longest eruption that the island has known: started on September 19, it was the first for fifty years after those of the Volcano San Juan in 1949 and Teleguia in 1971.
Despite its duration and the impressive images of the molten lava flows, it did not make any deaths, but provoked huge damage: more than 7,000 people were evacuated, among which about 600 still live in Hotels and nearly 3,000 buildings were destroyed.
Estimated damage at 900 million euros
The lava has covered 1,250 hectares of the island’s area and even … enlarged: the elks that have reached the sea have solidified and gave birth to two peninsula, adding to the area of the Island 44 hectares for one and 5 hectares for the other, according to the latest data provided by local authorities. At the height of the episode, the volcano sprung thousands of lava liters, producing bubbling and fluorescent flows that descended along the mountain, all in a constant whirling.
The 83,000 inhabitants of the Palma will neither the seismic jerks nor the rains of ashes or the toxic gases or smoke escaping from the cone of the volcano which obliged them to move sometimes for several days. It had to be evacuated in a hurry homes, and sometimes returning to look for a few days later animals and personal effects. Villas or buildings engulfed, roads disappearing under the lava and spectacular winds salted water jets when the lava entered the sea: the activity of the volcano rhythmic Spanish television newspapers.
Damage could exceed 900 million euros, according to local authorities. The Spanish Government, including the Chief, Pedro Sanchez, visited multiple occasions on the spot, promised 225 million euros of aid intended to build housing and to buy basic necessities, as well as to direct subsidies to farmers and fishermen. Madrid also solicited the European Commission to activate the European Union Solidarity Fund.