The geologist says, “This eruption hasn’t harmed Iceland, they don’t need to activate any plan, they have police monitoring the parking lot, but it’s not equivalent to La Palma.” Imagine tourist cars taking pictures while thousands of people are evacuated. The difficulty is that people don’t understand that an urban region affected by an eruption is an emergency area, not a pleasure area,” he said.
Two- or three-centimeter shards “may take out an eye, open your head, or smash your automobile, obstructing the road,” he says. “It’s not because the authorities don’t want you to appreciate the volcano or impede your freedom,” he says.
Why do Icelanders let tourists?
“They’ve controlled the amount of gas and where it goes so people can stay out of the wind,” says Perez, who adds, “volcanic gases are corrosive and bad for humans. In La Palma, he sustained slight burns from hydrochloric acid and hydrogen sulphide, but the UME soldiers who followed him were unharmed.”
Although the gases are fundamentally the same (primarily sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and other gases in minor quantities), the orography and winds make their effect considerably different. Volcanic gases are heavier than air and sink. In a valley, the winds move the gases, but it’s not like an eruption in the middle of a hillside with the trade winds as predominant, and with many localities attached to the volcano, as happened in La Palma, where 40,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide were emitted per day, while in Iceland they’re 2,000 or 3,000 tonnes per day, says Perez.
Perez: “The international legislation on occupational health and safety says that from 0.5 you have to take precautions and wear a face mask, and from 1 it is mandatory and it is recommended to carry bottles to breathe. Sometimes acid gases harm the eyes, so a full face mask is best. La Palma has had no victims or injuries despite the quantity of individuals exposed. It happened the first day we arrived; we approached swiftly and, although we were wearing masks, we were late putting them on, resulting in three-week vocal chord burns. The 17-kilometer hike to the Fagradalsfjall volcano has already caused two injuries. One of them was airlifted after breaking his foot”, according to RV.
“There were no casualties or injuries on La Palma despite the massive number of persons exposed: 19,000 island residents plus 3,000 journalists, scientists, and protection teams within one kilometre of the volcano. Journalists wanted information, scientists wanted data, and the military wanted to secure the region, which may have led to dangerous scenarios. But the Cabildo, scientists, military, and state security forces coordinated well, and there was rapid unanimity on the actions adopted”, says Pérez, who is in charge of La Palma’s security perimeters.
Despite the current scenario in Iceland, the two scientists said the Icelandic volcano could alter and restrict access.
“Icelanders know their nation and volcanoes best, so if they say visitors can approach safely, it’s for a cause,” explains Meletlidis.
La Palmatourism
La Palma has become one of the summer’s most popular tourist spots, with a defined circular trail that people can travel with official guides because the crater continues to emit gas and sulphur dioxide.
Volcanoes behave differently.
