When the big one hits, whats your plan to save your orchids?

[Diane56Victor]

7am Australia. We get the BBC news program from the previous evening.
Video showed buildings being overtaken by the lava flow.
Reporter said people were being evacuated.
Short statements from European tourists saying they wanted to leave as soon as possible as they didn't feel safe any longer.
Also a government official spoke of evacuation plans.

[WaterWitchin]

Social media went stupid quite a ways back Fuerte Rav. Thanks for the update and stay safe. Keep us posted.

[fishmom]

Fuerte Rav, we know the eruptions are continuing. Hope you will check in when you can. Best wishes to you and yours! as well as all residents of your island.

[Fuerte Rav]

Hi all
First I need to make clear that I am on a different island than the one with the volcanic eruption - thank goodness.
The eruption continues. There are now 4 lava flows, the first 3 have slowed considerably, because the viscosity has changed, and still not reached the sea. They have destroyed 200-300 properties (different media, different numbers) however. The fourth and latest flow is running stronger and faster but there has been very little media coverage of it.
The nature of the eruption has altered - I don't understand all the tech stuff about it - and it is now producing a SO2 plume that is going up to about 3000M and moving in a southerly direction. It's to be hoped that it doesn't cause acid rain over the island of El Hierro that lies directly to the south of La Palma. (or anywhere else of course.) The fiery blasts are reaching approx 400M and still sound like jet engines.
I'm watching a live feed - the flows show up more at night obviously - and to me it looks like magma is flowing down in yet another direction as well. The overall picture is hard to judge tonight because of the clouds/ash..
La Palma is the only one of the Canary Islands that I've not visited - it was on our agenda for 2020 but Covid got in the way. A friend who lives local to me also has a house on La Palma directly in the path of the lava flow. His tenant has been evacuated. My friend is going over on Saturday to see first hand what is happening.
Thanks for all the interest and concern that has been shown.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Glad you are safe. Please stay that way.

[Shadeflower]

La Palma volcano: Toxic gas fears as lava reaches ocean - BBC News

Lava reached ocean couple days ago.

Whats the latest? News has said over 650 houses lost.

I don't think I'd be getting much sleep.

[WaterWitchin]

I saw similar video. Have you had any issue with the toxic gases, etc? Or does the wind normally go a different direction this time of year?

[Fuerte Rav]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

La Palma volcano: Toxic gas fears as lava reaches ocean - BBC News

Lava reached ocean couple days ago.

Whats the latest? News has said over 650 houses lost.

I don't think I'd be getting much sleep.

Now up to around 800 properties destroyed.
My friend managed to get over there at the weekend taking a ferry for the last leg as La Palma airport is closed more than open at the moment. His house has survived so far but it is very close to one of the lava flows. He fears that even if it doesn't get taken by the lava it will probably have to be demolished as the intense heat it has been next to for a week will presumably have caused untold damage.

The lava has created new land in the sea, approx 500m x 500m at the last count I saw this morning.

---------- Post added at 10:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

I saw similar video. Have you had any issue with the toxic gases, etc? Or does the wind normally go a different direction this time of year?

The normal winds blow from the N or NE, taking most of the ash and dust away from the islands luckily. However the SO2 etc is going up to around 4000m and up there the currents are different and it's been blowing back towards Europe.
The lava entering the sea is producing other toxic gases but an exclusion zone has been set up at sea and only the geologists and Guardia Civil are accessing the area on boats, all fitted up with gas masks etc.
The air quality is constantly being monitored and 3 or 4 neighbourhoods are in lockdown, being asked to stay indoors with everything sealed up.

Watching the lava flows on a live stream tonight they look as strong as ever. There have also been a number of strong earthquakes further down the island, on the same volcanic ridge and there are thoughts the magma might break through there as well. Apart from anything else this would cut complete neighbourhoods off from the rest of the island due to the few roads in the south. Fingers crossed it doesn't happen.

Thanks for the interest and concern, Shade, WW, etc

[Fuerte Rav]

La Palma volcano eruption continues.

Now over 1000 properties destroyed, around 900 of these were houses. The whole town of Todoque has been destroyed.

Around 497 hectares affected. That's 4,970,000 square metres!!

Temps of 1240C recorded.

Last night the north flank of the cone collapsed releasing a torrent of lava that carried boulders the size of 3 storey houses as if they weighed nothing:

9/10/21 A vista de dron: los enormes bloques erráticos flotando en lava ardiente. La Palma IGME-CSIC - YouTube

As usual, I've been watching a live feed this evening and it looks like a flank has gone again - another large lava flow. 15 mins between screenshots:

[ArronOB]

Thanks for keeping us informed Fuerte Rav. We watch this occasionally on the news from nice, safe Australia.

Can you give us a bit of context to understand it better. How far away from the volcano is your island. Can you see the volcano from where you live. Is there any chance that if things get worse you will be impacted?I assume most people have left the volcano island, but are people on other islands leaving?

Are there people still living on the volcano island? If so, why?

Amazing photos.

Cheers