Cumbre Vieja’s latest eruption should mark “a before and after” by volcanic risk management Involcan’s scientific coordinator, Nemesio Pérez, is in the Canary Islands, the only area of the national territory to be exposed to this factor, and developing a strategy in this area “otherwise nothing would have been learned” says. La Palma and Tenerife are the islands most likely to experience a volcanic eruption in 50 years.
In an interview with EFE, Nemesio Pérez points out that the explosion was recorded on the island of La Palma. a turning point “our society – those who are ruled and those who rule – The Canary Strategy for Volcanic Risk Mitigation because otherwise we wouldn’t have learned anything from what just happened.
During the visit of Pedro Sánchez and Ángel Víctor Torres, presidents of Spain and the Canary Islands, to La Palma on December 26, 2021, INVOLCAN’s scientific coordinator told them that the eruption of Cumbre Vieja “should have signaled in advance.” and say the Canary Islands, the only part of the national territory exposed to volcanic risk, after the management of the volcanic risk in Spain”.
“A great effort is now being made to save La Palma,” and we forget what was the root cause of this huge social and economic impact on the island. Our society has a very poor perception of the volcanic risk in the Canary Islands”, states Nemesio Pérez.
And this is because development has been promoted in the Autonomous Community over the past 50 years without “due and adequate attention” so that all these actions aimed at reducing volcanic risk in the Canary Islands are duly completed.
However, he continues, he hopes that this eruption “and our level of preventive preparedness before it – can clearly be improved despite the efforts made – will open our eyes to the concern and concern this community deserves with the management of volcanic risk in the Canary Islands.”
this Canary Islands Institute of Volcanology suggested the need for this document and has the tools to develop the Canary Volcanic Risk Mitigation Strategy under three principles. scientific information, citizen participation and compromise.
In full, INVOLCAN researchers Nemesio Pérez, Pedro Hernández and Luca D’Auria presented a paper. “Lessons from the last eruption of Cumbre Vieja: the need for a strategy to reduce volcanic risk in the Canary Islands” In the eleventh edition of the largest international conference on volcanic risk management, held in Crete from 12-17 June.
75% chance in 50 years
The study covers, among other things, the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, El Hierro and Lanzarote. Scene of 18 historic eruptions recorded in the Canary Islands Those with the greatest volcanism and Cumbre Vieja eruption in 2021 it happened Europe’s most important in the last 75 years.
According to INVOLCAN, a Future volcanic eruption for the Canary Islands in a time window 50 years 75 percentY According to the islands, this rate is 48.7% for La Palma and; 39.4% for Tenerife.
Both UNESCO and the International Society for Volcanology and Internal Chemistry of the Earth recommend the preparation of volcanic hazard maps and the development of multidisciplinary programs to monitor volcanic activity, as well as contingency plans to educate the population and minimize the loss of human life.
However, the perception of volcanic risk in the Canary Islands is weak and there is a lack of continued support from public administrations to establish training programs in this area, and there is also a lack of commitment when it comes to implementing the agreed unanimous resolutions. in legislative chambers to improve volcanic risk management.
There is also pressure from the tourism sector to the political class to avoid talking about volcanic risk, and there is a lack of coordination between different Spanish research groups working on volcanic risk management.
In addition, the Civil Protection did not develop and support exercises of the contingency plan against volcanic risk.
INVOLCAN proposes Canarian Volcanic Risk Reduction Strategy workshops or meetings for public authorities, safety and emergency managers, health, social representatives, the education community, journalists, regional planners, tourism industry, other business sectors, and economists and lawyers.
In addition, representatives of the energy and water, transportation and communication sectors will take part in these workshops, which focus on information about volcanoes and volcanic risk management.
about combine all public efforts to optimize the management of volcanic risk, to establish legal mechanisms that guarantee continuous improvement in this area and to develop knowledge of the impact of this natural risk in the Canary Islands over the next 50 years.
The challenges are also to place a special emphasis on volcanic risk perception and education for both individual and collective attitude change and to design a good communication program on volcanic risk among these management-related organisations, institutions and people. It is vital for disaster risk reduction.
Meanwhile, INVOLCAN expects public administrations to “provide resources to prepare this important document, otherwise we have learned nothing from this eruption or from volcanic risk management in the Canary Islands,” notes Nemesio Pérez.
Source: Informacion
