03 Apr La Palma Reconstruction – March 2024

Lava Bombs 2: The Reconstruction Premieres on La Palma at Teatro Chico cinema. The hard-hitting film follows on from the prequel Lava Bombs: Truths Behind the Volcano, and analyses the current situation on the island and the progress of reconstruction of the island, through the voices of those affected. 63 more homes opened in Puerto Naos: From 18th March, 63 more homes, located in the green, orange and red zones of the town, have been opened up for their inhabitants. The €1.7 million fine imposed on the Insular Water Council in 2023 for the nature of the installation of the Las Hoyas-Remo pipeline has expired

04 Mar La Palma Reconstruction – February 2024

• GeoTenerife attends Cities on Volcanoes: GeoTenerife and international collaborators attended the Cities on Volcanoes Conference in Antigua, Guatemala, to share their research and lessons learnt from La Palma with a global volcanological audience •Current aid summary: The public resources reaching La Palma after the volcano have reached €950 million. •Water recovery: Work is ongoing to recovery drinking water to the coastal areas Corujo and Cabrera in Tazacorte, that were both affected by the eruption and have been without drinking water in their homes since.

05 Feb La Palma Reconstruction – January 2024

Puerto Naos - Access to 40 more homes in the green and orange zones of Puerto Naos have been granted given continuous CO2 concentrations of below 700ppm. Disabled people during the eruption – A spokesperson for the Association of the Physically Disabled of La Palma (ADFILPA), Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Rocha, has detailed how the disabled have been discriminated against in the response to the 2021 eruption. New homes for those affected by the eruption – A project to provide 37 homes in the municipality of Tazacorte has been accepted. Lack of aid for students – The PSOE party has highlighted the lack of aid for students affected by the volcano.

25 Jan La Palma Reconstruction – December 2023

€100 million for recovery: The Council of Ministers has approved a €100 million subsidy from the Government of Spain for the economic recovery of La Palma following the 2021 eruption. This aid will be managed by the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands. It will be financed from the 2023 state budget. Reconstruction decree: On the 18th of December, the Government of the Canary Islands approved Decree Law 9/2023 titled the “Territorial and Urban Planning Measures for the Economic and Social Recovery of the Island of La Palma after the Tajogaite Volcanic Eruption”. The role of faith-based organisations: A short report has been published by a Doctoral Student at the University of Cambridge Rosie Rice, also a GeoTenerife contributor, on the role of faith-based organisations and charities in the aftermath of the eruption, focusing particularly on the charity Caritas. The report can be read here under the ‘Published Articles and Opinion Pieces’ tab. Tourism figures: The latest figures show that, compared to pre-volcano and pre-Covid, international tourist numbers remain very low in La Palma.

04 Dec La Palma Reconstruction – November 2023

1,296 farmers forced to return €3.5 million in aid: €3.5 million in aid for loss on income to farmers is going to be returned, because it is understood that mismanagement by the previous institution of the funds lead to many some receiving more aid than they were shown to have lost. This is because these payments had been made based on estimates of damage, rather than definitive data that were available later. The government presents the territorial and urban planning decree:  Summary: This decree, which has been worked on since the eruption ended, has been presented to the affected platforms and neighbourhood associations. This decree will also be followed by a new agricultural decree, and two more decrees on housing and economic development, which will provide the legal framework for reconstruction of the island going forward. Puerto Naos and La Bombilla: Another company has been hired to investigate the origin and situation of the gases, and the island President is hoping to fix a date to move forward.

08 Nov La Palma Reconstruction – October 2023

€100 million for reconstruction: At a meeting in Madrid, the President of the Canary Islands has again pressed the Spanish Government over the delay in the execution of the €100 million in aid included in this year’s state budget for the reconstruction of La Palma. The President has received a commitment to do this from the finance minister of the Spanish Government. The latest figures show that 65 people affected by the volcano remain housed in hotels, almost two years since the eruption ended. The Palmera Ecologist Platform has denounced the use of emergency declarations for many projects relating to post-volcano recovery to skip essential stages of the environmental impact assessment process. The gradual return of residents to some parts of La Bombilla and Puerto Naos, evacuated due to high diffuse CO2 emissions, has been delayed a few days as necessary gas meters are still detained in customs and have not arrived.

12 Oct La Palma Reconstruction – September 2023

Transcripts of PEVOLCA meetings denied: For transparency around the decisions to keep the volcano on yellow alert prior to the eruption, citizens had requested transcripts from PEVOLCA meetings around this time, although this request has been rejected. 95% of the pine trees close to the cone did not survive: Research by CSIC has shown that the pine trees closest to the crater, which may have looked like they were going to survive the eruption, have died. However, they also say that this is part of the normal rhythm of this ecosystem, although it could take decades to fully recover. However, the recovery of ecosystems further away from the cone has been shown to be much stronger and quicker. Reopening timescales for Puerto Naos – The Commissioner for the Reconstruction of La Palma, Héctor Izquierdo, has said the southern half of Puerto Naos beach, which is part of the zone still evacuated due to high diffuse CO2 emissions, could open in ‘a reasonable time’ if the gas measurements are safe. They have agreed on an action plan which hopes to use innovative solutions to ensure a safe return when possible.

06 Sep La Palma eruption – August 2023

PEINPAL restructures: The Insular Emergency Plan of La Palma (PEINPAL), the committee which currently oversees the scientific management of the Volcanic (Level 1) Emergency, is undergoing restructuring. This is said to make it a more participatory forum with more operability and involves incorporating citizens and entities affected by the eruption, who before were not part of the committee. Cooling of the main cone: Thermal drone measurements by INVOLCAN have confirmed that incandescence can still be observed in places, with temperatures in these areas still above 500°C.