'Red Alert' Issued for Colombian Volcano After Non-explosive Eruption

[Pink.]

Colombian authorities have issued a red alert, the highest level, for the Galeras Volcano, because a non-explosive eruption occurred early Wednesday.

Images show a slight plume of smoke and ash emanating from the volcano, which is in southwestern Colombia, near the border with Ecuador.

Officials have called on about 7,000 nearby residents to evacuate to one of nine shelters in the area, but only 205 people had gone to four of the structures by Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Interior and Justice said in a news release.

The volcano is not in a heavily populated region, and there were no reports of injuries or structural damage.

Galeras, an ancient volcano that previously erupted in January, became active again in 1989.The only fatalities were in 1993, when nine people -- all scientists or tourists in or near the volcano's crater -- were killed.

The volcano's summit stands about 14,000 feet (4,200 meters) above sea level.

[Andria]

I was thinking this was another eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, which erupted in 1985 and buried an entire city in lava, ash and superheated mud. I had nightmares about that volcano as a little girl.

So in human terms would this be a wet fart?

[Pink.]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

So in human terms would this be a wet fart?

with "the trots" "the runs" ...

[Amy]

I can't imagine living in the areas surrounding volcanoes. I understand most of the people are natives to the area and it is just life as normal. I would be a nervous wreck if on top of everything else I had to worry about a mountain exploding and killing us all.

[Andria]

Originally Posted by amyjo3

I can't imagine living in the areas surrounding volcanoes. I understand most of the people are natives to the area and it is just life as normal. I would be a nervous wreck if on top of everything else I had to worry about a mountain exploding and killing us all.

I spent the first 3 years of my life living within a short distance of Mt. Rainier, which is a highly active volcano ready to erupt at any time. I was also born several days after Mt. St. Helen's erupted. My parents feared lava flows and volcanic mudslides, as anyone who was around Washington State at that time would. Nowadays people are dumb enough to move to towns like Orting, Auburn, Sumner, Fife and Enumclaw, which have very low housing costs due to the volcano, and will be destroyed by lava, ash and boiling mud when it erupts, killing everyone in sight.

Thankfully the nearest volcanoes to me, Lassen Peak and Mt. Shasta, are many miles away and we will just get ash, if anything, in an eruption.