History repeated itself for the third time in 400 years. On 13 November 1985, more than 23,000 people were killed when lahars swept down from the fourth deadliest volcano Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia of South America – the northernmost volcano on the Andean Volcanic Belt located at 4.53°N and 75.22°W. The eruption reached a value of 3 on the Volcanic Explosively Index and it was caused by the eastward subduction of the oceanic Nazca plate beneath the South American continental plate.
Four towns in the Andes region were buried when ash spewed out of the volcano causing a mudslide. Rescuers arrived were greeted by a horrible scene with tangled masses of trees, cars and mutilated bodies scattered throughout an ocean of gray mud. Almost 60 percent of the region’s livestock and 30 percent of its grain sorghum and rice crops were lost due to the flows of volcanic ash. The estimated cost of the disaster is $1,000,000,000, or about one-fifth of the Colombia's Gross National Product. The worst affected town was Armero from the Colombian capital, Bogota. The town was virtually destroyed and buried by mud and lay in the "Ring of Fire", an unstable area of the earth's crust encircling the Pacific Ocean which includes most of the world's active volcanoes.
The Colombian government appealed to the United Nations for help but rescue efforts were hampered by fallen bridges and impassable roads. Aid efforts in term of cash were received from the United States and International organizations alike.
Natural hazards affect the lives of millions of people around the world. I sympathise with the victims in this catastrophic disaster. Evacuation would have been possible if appreciation of the potential volcanic hazards and adequate emergency-response program by the local authorities are in place. One can hope that the lessons learned from this event will help to minimize the loss of life in natural disasters in the future.
Bibliography
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