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.

01 Aug La Palma eruption – July 2023

New field techniques investigated: A group of GeoIntern students from GeoTenerife under the leadership of Professor David Foster and postgrad student Danilo Cruz of the University of Florida have been testing a portable XRF on the flows of Tajogaite volcano to assess its potential for rapid use in the field to identify trace elements in the lava which could help scientists to acquire reliable data on eruption evolution.

10 Jul La Palma eruption – June 2023

An international science team including GeoTenerife have conducted research into the building damage from the lava flows on La Palma. They aim to compare the damage to that estimated by the widely-shared Copernicus damage assessment maps, and also look for links between the lava flow dynamics and the damage seen.

06 Jun La Palma eruption – May 2023

The return of 7 families to the Los Lajones neighbourhood in Puerto Naos has been authorised by the government, with systems including PA systems and phone alert systems put in place in case the gas levels reach dangerous levels. Elsewhere, some platforms of affected people have protested and produced a report arguing for the return of all residents and the reducing of the Volcanic Traffic Light Alert System from Yellow to Green.

03 May La Palma eruption – April 2023

€750,000 have been allocated towards the creation of a 24-hour control centre to monitor diffuse CO2 emissions in La Bombilla and Puerto Naos. This will compliment the network of gas meters in these towns, as well as other projects such as the forced ventilation to reduce CO2 levels and automated mapping of the gas levels.