Canary Islands Set to Enhance Volcanic Eruption Safety Measures

This week, the Canary Islands will achieve two significant milestones regarding safety measures against volcanic eruptions. Firstly, the Canary Islands Parliament is set to approve the region’s first volcanic law, which will establish criteria for recovery after an eruption. Secondly, the municipality of Garachico in Tenerife will host the first volcanic eruption drill in the Canary Islands, aimed at testing public alerts and coordinating emergency services.

Starting this Monday, technical meetings and plenary sessions organised by the University of La Laguna (ULL) will be held with various representatives and scientists to review operational protocols, communication strategies, and share experiences with other regions. The aim is to “strengthen” existing plans based on the conclusions drawn from these plenaries.

New Volcanic Law

Beyond scientific developments, the political sector will also take action. This Wednesday, the plenary session of the Canary Islands Parliament is expected to unanimously approve the volcanic law, a regulation stemming from a demand by the civilian population, which gathered over 19,000 signatures, seeking clarity on actions to be taken before, during, and after eruptions.

The legislation aims to establish criteria for support to affected individuals, detailing how the recovery of damaged properties will be managed and outlining financial assistance for affected economic activities. It will also clarify the coordination of administrations in the event of a potential eruption.

Specific Provisions

More specifically, the text includes provisions necessitating that homes in risk areas must have insurance, and that affected individuals will have “preferential rights to resettlement” either in the same location or nearby. Economic recovery for affected parties will be deemed achieved once the population returns to “the same average per capita income” that existed prior to the eruption. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the Canary Islands government will devise a health plan specifically tailored for inhabitants of an island impacted by a volcanic eruption.

First Eruption Drill

Friday will mark another crucial day for eruption preparedness. The municipality of Garachico, located in northern Tenerife, will host Spain’s first volcanic eruption drill. Up to 1,000 personnel will participate in an exercise simulating the evacuation of the town’s historic centre, scheduled to commence at 08:00.

The exercise will involve deploying teams for incident response, assisting individuals with reduced mobility, managing temporary shelters, and coordinating operations across various municipalities, security bodies, and emergency services, as explained by the Tenerife Cabildo regarding the planned operation. At 09:00, an official ES-ALERT message will be sent to all mobile devices on the island as part of the drill. The entire operation will last until 13:00 and will also impact mobility within the municipality.