DESTRUCTIVE VOLCANO ON SPANISH ISLAND OF LA PALMA OFFICIALLY DECLARED OVER

Sun 26 December 2021:

The volcanic eruption on the Spanish island of La Palma is officially over, authorities declared on Saturday.

The eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano that began in mid-September goes down as the longest in the recorded history of La Palma, part of the Canary Islands archipelago.

“After 85 hours and eight hours, the eruption finished,” said Julio Perez, spokesperson for the Canary Islands government.

But the emergency in La Palma — the most northwest island in the Atlantic Ocean archipelago — is not over due to the widespread damage the eruption caused, the director of the Canaries’ volcanic emergency committee said in announcing the much-anticipated milestone.

“It’s not joy or satisfaction – how we can define what we feel? It’s emotional relief. And hope,” Pevolca director Julio Pérez said. “Because now, we can apply ourselves and focus completely on the reconstruction work.”

#Copernicus for #LaPalmaEruption #LaPalma

The eruption of the #CumbreVieja #volcano has been on pause for a week 🤞

⬇️Here is the evolution of the lava flow as seen by #Sentinel2 🇪🇺🛰️ from 5 September (before the start of the eruption) to 19 December (last image available) pic.twitter.com/lDeI4wsrJf

— Copernicus EU (@CopernicusEU) December 21, 2021

Fiery molten rock flowing down toward the sea destroyed around 3,000 buildings, entombed banana plantations and vineyards, ruined irrigation systems, and cut off roads. But no injuries or deaths were directly linked to the eruption.

Pérez, who is also the region’s minister of public administration, justice and security, said the archipelago’s government valued the loss of buildings and infrastructure at more than 900 million euros.

The eruption has also been one of the most destructive, forcing some 7,000 people to flee their homes as entire towns or neighborhoods were devoured by the pouring lava.

Nearly 3,000 buildings were destroyed or affected by a wall of lava that bulldozed 1,223 hectares (3,023 acres) of land, according to the EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service.

Although residents still have a long process of rebuilding ahead of them, the confirmation of the end of the eruption, which came after 10 days without any volcanic activity, was cause for celebration.

“This is the best Christmas present possible,” Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Twitter.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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