La Palma eruption – November 2022

La Palma eruption – November 2022

Monthly summary

Among research outputs related to the eruption in the last month was an ecological and evolutionary investigation by PhD student María Guerrero and colleagues at the University of Malaga during the eruption. One conclusion was that for the first time, a link between the ‘woodiness’ of a plant has been linked to resilience to volcanic eruptions, as they found woody plants survived whereas many more herbaceous plants could not tolerate the conditions of the eruption. They also found that insects, lizards and some small bird species were the most affected animals during the eruption.

A new paper on the eruption has been published by researchers from Switzerland, Spain, Italy and the UK, focusing on the ‘hybrid’ eruption style which as simultaneously explosive and effusive, and observed during much of the eruption. The work offers strategies for the dedicated recording of these variations in eruption style and demonstrates the immense value of the tephra deposits around the island for providing insights into the eruptive dynamics.

The latest research from the Spanish Oceanography Institute (IEO) have recorded algal blumes on the bottoms of the lava deltas, with the rate of recovery appearing faster than expected. Their work has also verified the survival of many important species of corals and other organisms even in close proximity to the lava flows.

In terms of infrastructure, the road across the lava flows between La Laguna and Las Norias, which opened in June, is now finally open continuously as streetlights have now been installed. Previously, due to the lack of streetlights, it was only open between the hours of 6am and 10pm. The construction of the road is said to be 90% completed and has cost around 5 million Euros and has been completed entirely by companies based on La Palma.

New statistics have revealed that 230 homes that were isolated by the lava flows have now been reconnected due to various paths through the edges of the lava flows. In some cases, utilities have even been restored to some of these homes.

However, controversy still remains over the construction and route of a new coastal road to the west of the La Laguna-Las Norias road. A meeting was needed on the 17th November between the reconstruction commissioner and the platform of those affected to resolve misunderstandings about the road. However, a final resolution of the route, between the original controversial route or the alternative proposed by those affected, has yet to arrive.

Further hardship for those affected continues in La Bombilla and Puerto Naos, where residents still cannot return to their homes due to dangerous CO2 concentrations. For the first time homeowners have been allowed unsupervised access in certain areas, although access is only allowed between 9am-1pm on certain days. The affected people in La Bombilla and Puerto Naos continue to protest and have gone to court over the lack of access. Currently, 162 people affected by the eruption still remain in hotels, many of them from these areas.

Other difficulties continue in the delivery of temporary housing, with only 44 families relocated into temporary ‘container’ houses so far. Furthermore, residents have reported difficulties in obtaining the segregation and construction licenses allowing them to construct new homes.

Finally, two new significant sources of financial aid have been promised; firstly, 9.5 million euros from the EU, and secondly an additional 100 million Euros from the Government of the Canary Islands for the 2023 budget, as well as a 60% personal income tax deduction for inhabitants of La Palma.

Sources: La Palma Ahora, Cabildo de La Palma, El Time, ABC España

News articles

  • ABC España –The highway of the coast of La Palma could culminate in April, with the local opposition – here
  • El Time – The machinery ‘draws’ the roads that were buried by the volcano on the lava field – here
  • El Time – The EU approves an aid of 9.5 million for the damage of the volcano – here
  • El Time – 44 affected families receive the key to houses made with containers – here
  • El Time – 162 affected by the volcano continue to live in hotels, 99 are from Puerto Naos and La Bombilla – here
  • La Palma Ahora – Neighbors with homes and businesses in Puerto de Naos and La Bombilla have formed the Jaraco Platform in order to “fight together to return to our properties” – here          
  • ABC España – María José Blanco sees education as the “only way” to escape the “hoaxes” of the volcano- here
  • La Palma Ahora – The State allocates 100 million for the recovery plan of La Palma – here            
  • La Palma Ahora – Cáritas has given financial and psychosocial support to more than 3,000 people affected by the volcano – here
  • La Palma Ahora – The Platform for People Affected by the Eruption held another protest event this Saturday – here
  • La Palma Ahora – Authorized unaccompanied access to Los Lajones in Puerto Naos – here
  • El Time – Affected people from Puerto Naos and La Bombilla take the ban on access to their homes to court – here
  • La Palma Ahora – The platform of those affected by the coastal highway “resolves the misunderstanding” with Commissioner Héctor Izquierdo             – here
  • El Time – The Government delivers this Friday the 36 wooden houses of El Paso – here
  • El Time – The Cabildo plans to open the road between La Laguna-Las Norias 24 hours a day at the end of the week – here

To see our full news archive, visit our open data section or click here.

Photography

Access photography taken around this time

  • Resiste La Palma – Modular homes constructed in Los Llanos – here
  • Resiste La Palma -Status of improvement works on the La Laguna – Las Norias road – here
  • Resiste La Palma – Drone photography of the lava flow field, roads, and adjacent towns – here
  • Resiste La Palma – Drone photography of the water pipe to irrigate farms – here

Environment maps

The exclusion zones and road construction plans shown here have been approximated from press releases from the Cabildo de La Palma and will not be exact, nor claim to be official maps of the exclusion zones and road construction. For official information, please contact the Cabildo de La Palma.

News and Interviews

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Animated Exclusion zone map

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