Los Llanos de Aridane (La Palma), (EFE).- The wind gusts of up to 90 kilometers per hour that have affected the west face of La Palma, mixed with the accumulation of volcanic ash from the Tajogaite eruption three years ago, have caused damage to the streets and homes of the Las Manchas neighborhood.
This neighborhood, located next to the southern slope of the new volcanic cone, has coexisted with large quantities of lapilli and ash generated during the 85 days of eruption of the Tajogaite volcano, which invade its properties with each episode of wind that affects the area.
The gusts of wind, caused by Storm Dorothea, have caused the breaking of branches and losses in fruit trees throughout La Palma. They have also generated small volcanic slag landslides that have partially buried secondary roads in Las Manchas.
In addition, residents of the Jedey neighborhood, adjacent to Las Manchas, have reported that, from midnight Sunday until Monday morning, several homes suffered power outages and unstable mobile coverage.
They have also commented that the layer of volcanic ash on the road surface “can cause the car to skid if you go at high speed.”
The Department of Education of the regional Government has suspended school activity this Monday in the two preschool and primary educational centers in these neighborhoods, Jedey and Las Manchas, due to the expected weather conditions.
Carmen, a resident of Las Manchas, has stated that she has removed “samuros and samuros of sand from in front of the doors of my house”, describing life in the neighborhood as “hell due to the grain, the dust, the sand and everything.” “what sneaks through the cracks of the houses.”
However, Vicente, another resident of the neighborhood, has commented with resignation that “the solution is complicated, because the sand is everywhere,” trusting that the passage of time and humidity will help to compact the material so that the problems that causes are minor.
“Meanwhile, I will take advantage of the ash to put it on top of the plants, so that it retains moisture and prevents grass from growing, because we have to learn to live with it,” he reflected. EFE
