A volcano, Cumbre Vieja, located on La Palma, Canary Islands is on its ninth day of eruptions. Earthquakes shook the island a week before the initial eruption allowing volcanologists to alert people living in close proximity to the volcano about the dangers to come. At first, only 1,000 people were evacuated, but the continuous eruptions has raised the number of evacuees to 6,000. The victims left homeless will be given financial aid for housing and grocery needs.
One underlying concern about the effects of Cumvre Vieja is its growing proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. As of today, the lava stands about a mile from the ocean, with the possibility of it moving forward in the case of another eruption. If the lava reaches the ocean it can cause clouds of toxic gases that are dangerous to breathe. Tiny shards of volcanic glass can carry into the clouds, bringing more danger to civilians in La Palma.
"Basically, a large column of water vapor is produced and the advance is practically the same as on land. That is to say, the cold part breaks up and is detached by the thrust of the hot part and fills the bottom creating a platform," Vicente Soler, a volcanologist, said in an interview with AS English.
Cumvre Vieja also had an effect on economic elements in La Palma. Bananas make up a large piece of La Palma's economy. Molten lava covered banana plantations across the island.
According to Al Goodman and Hannah Ritchie from CNN, "No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported since the volcano's eruption, but about 15% of the island's banana crop could be at risk, jeopardizing thousands of jobs."
Clean up of ash continues this week as airports open back up and schools return to their normal schedules. As of today, the lava still flows, while the people of La Palma adjust to this natural disaster.
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