The emergency response and risk mitigation agencies continue to closely monitor and follow the activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. For this reason, the Government – headed by President Gustavo Petro – launched a process of preventive evacuation of at least 2,500 families “who are at high risk due to the contingency.”
According to the head of state, the government is addressing the situation “first hand.” In this line, the Risk Management Unit (UNGRD) articulates efforts to coordinate actions seeking to protect the life of the communities in the area of influence, particularly in Caldas, Tolima, Risaralda and Quindío.
“We are not saying that tomorrow, tonight, next week or in a month the volcano will erupt, because there are no scientific elements to provide that information. All these are preventive actions”, said the director in charge of the entity, Luis Fernando Velasco, specifying that the evacuation of the first 40 families from the territories closest to Nevado has already been ordered.
The situation forced the governor of Caldas, Luis Carlos Velásquez, to declare a public calamity in the department to facilitate access to resources and expedite hiring processes. “It gives us powers to use public and private assets to attend to this emergency,” he explained.
The department of Tolima did the same, where a public calamity was also declared and its entire hospital network remains on red alert.
However, there is controversy in the region after learning that Carlos Marín, mayor of Manizales -one of the territories at risk-, is on vacation in full emergency: “Modifying the tickets has a very high cost, but we are doing everything possible to solve it” , answered.
earthquake alert
Geologist John Londoño Bonilla, director of Geothreats at the Geological Service (SGC), told EL COLOMBIANO that, although there is a probability of an eruption “in days or weeks”, it is not an imminent event. However, he urged not to lower our guard, taking into account that “the volcano is still very unstable, so it is the right time for more preparation.”
Noting that the Ruiz continues “with significant seismic instability,” Londoño said that before March 24 there were an average of 50 earthquakes in the area of the volcano. However, now that daily average has risen to 10,000: “El Ruiz has been in an eruptive process for 10 years and normality in terms of earthquakes is relative,” he added.
For his part, Rafael Martínez, one of the residents of the neighboring municipality of Murillo (Tolima), did not fail to draw attention to the uncertainty suffered by the region’s tourism sector in the face of the emergency.
“This week is high season. People were getting ready, but in view of what happened, tourist activity was restricted. The volcano must be treated with respect, the alert cannot be minimized, but neither can it reach a state of alarmism, ”he indicated.
“The community is willing to do what needs to be done, but not like crazy, because that becomes a violent act of forced displacement,” said Professor Alexander Velásquez in turn.