Check NYTimes for side by side before and after photos.
You can read my original post on the El Fuego eruption here.
Just days after El Fuego erupted (Jun 3, 2018), another Guatemalan volcano increased in activity. The Pacaya Volcano, located less than 20 miles from El Fuego, began expelling lava on June 6.
For Pacaya, like El Fuego, mild lava eruptions are frequent and normal. The constant activity of these volcanos is what made nearby residents and authorities not take immediate action when El Fuego gave the first signs of a possible violent eruption. That resulted in over a hundred fatalities and a national emergency.  Residents living near Pacaya will hopefully not suffer a similar fate. The increased activity has spurred residents to demand that the responsible authorities provide an update on the risks. Nearby communities are being kept on alert.
El Fuego Update:
- 113 deaths confirmed.
- 332 have officially been listed as missing.
Thousands of people have been forced to abandon their lands, many of them are currently living in overpopulated and unsanitary temporary refuges, while trying to cope with the trauma of losing some of their close relatives. Farmers from the region lost their harvests to the volcanic ash. Food security is the region is now threatened.
Relief and aid efforts continue.
So sad, but I appreciate the update.
It’s also annoying… When it happened last month there was so much coverage and pictures and information overload. But the news outlets have so little follow through. I’ve been trying for the last week to put together more update info but it’s sparse! Ppl still need attention and help, more so in fact. Ugh.
As always with the media. They could never wait to move on to the next ‘big’ piece of news.
Yup.
I just can’t imagine living near a volcano. I’d be terrified daily. Those poor people
I know… and to imagine daily activity is a norm. That’s crazy, especially as it made them not realise how dire the latest activity was.