The technical director of PEVOLCA, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, confirmed yesterday that the Cumbre Vieja volcano has entered a zone of "mini stability", but that is not known how long it will last and, although it is "quite explosive", the lava flows have slowed right down and are moving at four metres per hour, and because of this no predictions have been made as to when or whether it will eventually reach the sea.
However, it is not ruled out that this decrease in activity, as the eruptions are only currently emitting from four of the nine ‘mouths’, is just a pause and that the explosive episodes of recent days may resume. Also, the deformation of the Island "has not grown", and still stands at 28 centimetres, 24 of which occurred in six days.
Meanwhile, as the lava continued slowly engulfing houses in Todoque yesterday, one of the neighbourhoods most affected by the fire and rocks of the flows, the Cabildo made public the list of ways by which residents of the remaining houses in the lower part, which was not yet affected by the lava, could go to their homes to collect belongings that would otherwise have been left behind.
They desperately tried to collect as many of their belongings as possible before having to leave their homes behind, always under the supervision of the security and emergency services. Specifically, the accesses allowed were: the roads of El Atajo, El Hidalgo, El Corujo, San Isidro, El Pampillo and Montajanero; the LP-2132 highway and the Los Palacios place.
As they were doing this they could see the lava creeping towards them, and as the lava reached the buildings, they didn’t put up a fight and collapsed with the unstoppable force of the volcano.
RELOCATED RESIDENTS:
The President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres, announced yesterday that a total of 137 people who have been evacuated from their homes in different towns on the island and, until now, have been staying in the military barracks of El Fuerte in Breña Baja, will be taken to a hotel in Fuencaliente and a social health centre in Santa Cruz de La Palma; the latter has had a ward specially dedicated to people with reduced mobility set up.
He also said that in the next few days more residents will be relocated to new temporary accommodation facilities after they have been cleaned and set up for them.
