1985 Nevado Del Ruiz Volcanic Eruption Sets Bar for Survivors, Repeat Disaster Skeptics

Because of the precedent set by the 1985 Nevado Del Ruiz volcanic eruption, experts are now wary of experiencing another disaster; survivors, however, are not.

Screams, thousands of dead with severed bodies, and his town covered in dirt. William Suarez, a survivor, recalls the horror of the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcanic eruption in Colombia, but he doesn't believe the government's most recent predictions of a repeat.

Repeat Disaster Skeptics

When asked recently about the real possibility of another eruption, Suarez, a 73-year-old man with a gray mustache, sneered because he does not consider the threat to exist.

In contrast to the government's request and the orange alert that has been in effect since March, many of the 57,000 people who live in the danger zone surrounding the Andes volcano, like him, refuse to leave.

At that time, the number of seismic tremors detected inside the crater increased from 50 to 12,000 per day.

Suarez, though, is adamant that the more than 17,400-foot titan that locals refer to as the "sleeping lion" won't erupt once more for "about 50 years" or so.

1985 Nevado Del Ruiz Volcanic Eruption

Authorities worry that a significant eruption of Nevado del Ruiz could replicate the area's 1985 level of destruction.

The town of Armero was buried under furious floods of mud, ash, and debris that poured down the mountainside a couple of hours after a lava eruption melted a portion of the volcano's snowcap. The worst natural calamity in the nation's modern history claimed about 25,000 lives.

Farmers must still make decisions based on practical considerations, such as whether to follow the call for an evacuation and give up their livelihoods or to stay there and tend to their crops and pack animals.

Suarez is a farmer from Viejo Rio Claro, a community in one of the high-risk locations that are situated in a riverfront village tucked between mountains.

He remembers when the volcano erupted with disastrous results about forty years ago.

Suarez claims that Nevado del Ruiz was witnessed ejecting fire the color of bricks during the 1985 eruption, and the earth was trembling. Screaming and fleeing on the street began. According to NOAA, it was the second-largest volcano-related disaster of the 20th century.

According to Suarez, fragments of hands, arms, half-bodies, and severed heads were found the following day.

Warning Signs

Many have detected an odd odor during the past few days in Villamaria and the nearby city of Manizales.

It might be caused by the dispersion of a significant amount of sulfur dioxide, along with "ash components" and moisture, claims the Columbian Geological Service (SGC).

Castano claims that the dense clouds that surround the snow-capped mountain, which is visible from Manizales, concentrate gases, water vapor, and crater debris.

Settlements surrounding the volcano that is located along the banks of rivers have a significant danger of being destroyed by potential floods of sediment, mud, and volcanic debris, according to the SGC.

According to the Smithsonian Institution, the eruption at Nevado del Ruiz continued from 18 to 25 April and was accompanied by gas, steam, as well as ash emissions, thermal anomalies at the Arenas Crater lava dome, and increased seismicity.

However, residents of Viejo Rio Claro believe they are ready for a crisis.

1,200 Families at Risk

In the event of an eruption, Jose Jaramillo, 71, said he will rely on his expertise as a first responder and firefighter.

They are eager for the event to occur, according to Jaramillo, who moved to the town after the 1985 eruption so that the tension will pass and they can put what they have learned into practice.

According to Felix Giraldo, director of risk management for the region, 1,200 families reside inside the rural boundaries of Villamara and could be at risk from a fresh eruption.

Giraldo maintains that although emotions may have subsided in the weeks since the government posted its orange notice, they shouldn't let their guard down since the threat still exists, Phys Org reports.