Those of you who have been following my entire stay in Ecuador may remember the eruption of one of our most active volcanoes here in July and August of 2006 - which involved pyroclastic flow, and covered a large area, affecting primarily Baños (a popular tourist spot with hot springs and such).
On Friday morning, Tunguraghua took geophysicists and others by surprise with a new and very strong eruption, and has continued spewing lava, rocks, and ash through the weekend. In the midday news report today, scientists are saying that they "cannot rule-out" a much larger eruption. They stated that the energy present in the volcano to date, is much more than it was in 2006... and they are figuring at least 3 possible scenarios (one of which, being that there may be no further developments). They moved the alert to its highest possible level today, and are currently under voluntary evacuations.
Prayer request for the people of Cotopaxi province, and all those who live in Baños and the skirts of the volcano. Their homes, cattle and crops are all affected by just the ash alone (which continues spewing while "the colossus" (one of its names) continues re-adjusting internal pressures). This volcano has a history of significant damage in the 18th and 19th centuries here, where whole towns like Riobamba were buried. There was talk after the 2006 eruptions that the whole area should be cleared of homes/farms and made a national park... maybe they´ll start considering that option again.
Thanx for your prayers for the people of Ecuador.
Your friend in Christ,
michelle
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