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By Wendy Anders
A constant eruption of ash from Costa Rica’s Turrialba Volcano, located east of the San José greater metropolitan area, has emergency officials closely monitoring the colossus.
Yesterday, the Central Valley, home to the country’s capital San José, was placed on green alert, the lowest level alert, due to the steady ash falling in densely populated areas near the volcano, said the National Emergency Commission (CNE, in Spanish).
The alert is intended to make sure all local emergency commissions are ready to respond if need be, and also to heighten awareness of precautions local residents should take in the presence of ash fall.
Wednesday, several flights on five different airlines were cancelled or delayed due to ash, and residents throughout the area west of Turrialba have reported significant ash fall in the last few days on Facebook.
Emergency officials recommend the following:
- Stay calm, do not repeat or spread rumors.
- Have an emergency kit and protective goggles for the whole family.
- Wash fruits and vegetables well before consuming.
- Sweep and remove ash from ceilings, patios and streets, and place it in bags to prevent it from going into drains.
- Ash can be slippery especially if it is wet, use caution.
- Protect electronic equipment and do not use mobile equipment outdoors.
- If you are outside when ash is falling, cover nose and mouth with a cloth.
- In case of eye irritation, rinse with plenty of water without rubbing.
- If possible, when outside wear a brimmed hat, and long sleeved clothing.
- Avoid using windshield wipers to clean your car’s windshield, rinse with water.
- If your house has a water storage tank, avoid letting the level get very low.
- Keep animals indoors or in shelters.
- Cover any stored water.
- Get information about the ash fall and the Turrialba volcano only from official sources (RSN (National Seismological Network), OVSICORI (Volcanology and Seismology research Institute at the National University, or the CNE.
Water officials said the national water laboratory is able to detect any problems that might be caused by ash, and so far none have been detected in the metropolitan area water supply. Darner Mora, AyA representative, said only a massive amount of ash could possibly affect water supplies, in which case the public would be notified of the problem. Currently, water treatment plans are equipped to handle ash and similar debris, said Mora, and water supplies are unaffected by the volcanic eruptions.
Stay tuned for more volcano updates.
