Thirty days of destruction and pain in La Palma

The tranquility reigned in Isla de la Palma until on September 11 the Earth began to tremble. Twenty-five thousand earthquakes of low magnitude were the prelude to the greatest volcanic eruption that our country suffers over several centuries.

The Volcano de la Palma has been exactly a month expelling lava and ash without symptoms of weakness and unparalleled for the moment - Tajogaite, head of cow and Echowey are among the proposals. There have been thirty days of destruction and pain in which lava has devastated more than 789 hectares of land and has buried or damaged almost 2,000 buildings, including hundreds of homes, and has causing great economic damage in key sectors of the island as The production of banana and tourism.

According to the last estimate of the Scientific Committee, the volcano that has emerged in the Old Summit Natural Park has expelled some 75 million cubic meters of lava (with a margin of error of 25 million cubic meters), surpassing the amount they emitted together together The two volcanoes that entered the eruption in La Palma the last century, that of San Juan (1949), and Teneguía (1971).

Of the 85,000 people living on the island, around 7,000 have been evacuated from their homes. Hundreds of them have even had to be evicted on two occasions by threatening the lava new municipalities as the eruption progressed. Thousands of children have been a month without going to class.

This is the chronology of a natural disaster that maintains in Vilo to Spain and whose final remains an unknown for geologists despite the fact that it is one of the volcanic eruptions more monitored by scientists.

At 15.12 (Canary Time), an explosion starts the eruption of a new volcano in the Old Summit Natural Park that expelses Lava from seven mouths. More than 5,000 people are evacuated from the area and a hundred homes are affected.

The rapid performance of emergency services prevents fatal or injured victims, but lava destroys in just 48 hours a hundred housing and devastates 100 hectares of land.

Don Felipe and Doña Letizia ran to the neighbors affected by the volcano during a visit in which they were accompanied by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres: "The palm sad will go ahead despite the disaster ... they will not miss aid," said the king.

A new eruptive mouth and 350 neighbors of the localities of Tajuya, Tacande de Abajo and Tacande above are evacuated. Although the airport is not closed, airlines stop operating due to the risk of ashes issued by the volcano.

The cone of the volcanic building breaks and a large lava wash sprouts with the sea, while the suspension of flights cause long queues and delays in airports and ports.

LAVA returns to enter the municipality of Equalque and causes the collapse of the bell tower of the iconic Church, of which in the previous days they had rescued their artistic treasures. Likewise, the concern grows for the effects of lava in biodiversity when it reaches the sea.

Eight days after the start, the activity stops suddenly for a few hours to resume it strongly that afternoon. He has not returned.

After several days waiting for his arrival, a lava river finally reaches the sea in an area of cliffs on the Tazacorte coast, forming a fajana or lava delta that was increasing in size over the days. The oceanographic vessel Ramón Margalef (IEO / CSIC), which was in the area performing studies before and during the rash to investigate the effects on marine biodiversity, witnessed the fall of the laundry to the sea.

In his third visit to La Palma, the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announces 200 million for those affected. He was also on the island on September 20 and 23, and on October 13.

After several days with flight cancellations by airlines, the large amount of ash leaves inoperative the airport of La Palma.

Upon reaching the industrial polygon of the alley of the cat, the lava generates fires on the ships. The emission of gases in a cementary forces 3,000 minced persons in the following hours, the evacuation of another a thousand people in municipalities of La Laguna was decreed to be achieved by lava.

Earthquakes increase in frequency and magnitude. In this day there was a seamity of magnitude 4.5, the greater extent during this eruption until then, which was overcome on October 16, by another magnitude 4.6. Scientists say that this seismic activity is linked to the same volcanic process.

A new mouth is opened southeast of the volcano, which enters a phase with much more emission of lava and ash. The surface razed exceeds 730 hectares.

Some points on the island record poor air quality while the most active laundry, which is directed to the sea, slows down. It returns to the classrooms 90% of the students affected by the suspension of the classes due to the eruption.