SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Sep 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The plane requested by the Government of the Canary Islands from the Ministry for Ecological Transition for the monitoring and follow-up of volcanic activity on the island of La Palma this Saturday made the first flight over the Cumbre Vieja area and surroundings after arriving in the afternoon yesterday to the Archipelago. In addition, the General Directorate of Security and Emergencies has also started the first drone flights with infrared cameras.
The Steering Committee of the Special Plan for Civil Protection and Attention to Emergencies due to Volcanic Risk in the Canary Islands (Pevolca), meeting today, has analyzed the progress in preparing the evacuation plans for the population in the area affected by the seismic swarm in La Palma, with special attention to the most vulnerable areas defined by the Scientific Committee. The traffic light remains yellow and the Plan activated in an alert situation.
Present at this meeting were the regional councilor for Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Julio Pérez; the technical director of the Plan, Miguel Ángel Morcuende, and the highest representatives of the Cabildo de La Palma and the municipalities of Fuencaliente, Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso, Villa de Mazo and Tazacorte.
The Cabildo de La Palma and the five affected municipalities have intensified the preparation of the various evacuation and emergency plans. Likewise, they have made progress in inter-administrative coordination in order to preserve the safety of the population, buildings and animals that could be affected by both increased seismic activity and a possible volcanic eruption in the decisions made.
Faced with the increase in seismic activity on La Palma, the Canary Islands Government activated the Pevolca last Monday in a situation of Alert with a yellow traffic light for the municipalities of Fuencaliente, Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and Villa de Mazo. Yesterday, the town councils of these municipalities activated their respective municipal emergency plans (PEMU), while the Cabildo de La Palma preventedly activated the Insular Emergency Plan (Peinpal), in a pre-alert situation, last Thursday . This Sunday the Steering Committee will meet again, as well as the Scientific Committee.
The Pevolca establishes a volcanic traffic light as an alert system to the population based on four colors depending on the risk: green, yellow, orange and red. In yellow, information to the population, surveillance measures and monitoring of volcanic and seismic activity are intensified.
