The Nevado Del Ruiz Eruption The radio announcement came in at 9. 35 PM reporting the eruption of the mountain’sglacial cap. The explosion came in the form of hot rocks, steam, and ash mixed with glacial melt water running down the river at a speed of 50 miles (Bruce 62).
At 10. 30 PM, the hot mud reached the Caldas village of Chinchira killing more than 1000 people in 60 seconds. Unfortunately, the rescue team from Civil Defense workers could not provide any assistance as river Rio Azufrado, and Rio Langunillas became drain of the mudflows (Bruce 62).
The running hot mud reached Armero at 10: 45 P. M, more than ninety minutes after the eruption. The firefighters instructed the residents to evacuate, but many held on to the words of the priest that the eruption would not occur. At exactly, 10. 50 PM, the Mayor announced that Armero is flooded with the hot mud (Bruce 63).
Although the initial estimates for the hot magma to reach Armero were 2 hours, the mudflow reached the town within 75 minutes after the first announcement from the radio. The city of Armero is 40 miles from the mountain, and the mudflow passed other villages and challenging terrains before reaching the city (Bruce 61). Additionally, the mudflow was over 30 feet high meaning that it destroyed trees and buildings on its way. Consequently, it is evident that the volcanic speed is high, making me concerned about such an eruption and the available time for the people to run to safety.
The prospect of such a disaster happening in the United States is high given that the country experienced such as Hurricane Katrina. Although the nation was aware of the storm, people were reluctant to leave the place in a similar way the Armero resident failed. In a similar account, the residents of the disaster-stricken areas got the evacuation message but they were not told where to go. Secondly, the speed of the disaster is so high for rescue teams to conduct a successful rescue mission. Despite there being a well-organized and efficient team in the USA, it is hard to save all the residents within such a short time. In summation, such a disaster can occur in the United States and lead to a massive destruction of property and deaths.
Works Cited
Bruce, Victoria. No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. Print.
