After nature’s impressive display,
threat from Sicily's Mt. Etna easing
Story and photos by Anthony
Burgos, Sigonella bureau
Lava, ash and smoke rise
from the south side of Mount Etna, Sicily, Tuesday evening. |
NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA, Sicily — Residents of Sicily have been getting an
eyeful of the Mother Nature’s destructive powers for the past two weeks. Not since
1992 has Europe’s largest active volcano, Mount Etna, been so alive. Just outside the
northwestern boundary of the city Catania, the volcano has had several spectacular
eruptions recently.
"It looked like someone took a knife and slit the mountain open," said Petty
Officer 1st Class Kenneth Alvarez, a sailor from Naval Air Station Sigonella. He and his
wife, Sharon, have lived in San Pietro Clarenza, near the volcano, for about two years.
Communities on the mountain have been in a state of emergency for a week. Emergency
services and law enforcement personnel have kept a watchful eye on the lava flow that
threatens the 5,000 residents of Nicolosi, and crews have worked to block traffic leading
to the lava flow.
Etna stands 10,860 feet above Sicily, and frequently vents steam, ash and smoke.
Residents occasionally get to see glowing lava burst from atop the mountain, but the past
two weeks have been a cause for concern.
"We’ve seen eruptions but not to this degree," Alvarez said. Last week,
lava from Etna’s main crater and a newly opened fissure combined to make one large
flowing river of molten rock that slowly moved down the mountainside. The flow split on
Monday, causing two separate streams to creep toward Nicolosi.
Tourists and residents of
Nicolosi, Sicily, line up along the ridge of a quarry for a view of the lava, ash and
smoke rising from the south side of Mount Etna Tuesday. |
"When the new fissure broke open, the whole mountain was glowing orange,"
Alvarez said.
Provincial Road 92, which leads to the tourist areas on Etna’s southern slope, was
blocked by the lava flow. Italian military demolition experts set off controlled
explosions to divert the flow. Excavators and bulldozers dug trenches to prevent the lava
from reaching populated areas. The Civil Protection Agency launched aircraft to the scene
to douse the hot lava with water in effort to stop it.
Although the lava has slowed down, it was still moving toward Nicolosi’s border as
of Wednesday morning. Volcanologists and officials from the Emergency Crisis Center said
there is no threat to populated areas, but have recommended that farmers that are closer
to the mountain move to safer ground.
Ash and debris sprayed so high in the air this week that the Catania airport closed for
three hours on Sunday and shut down completely on Monday. By Tuesday, the mountain calmed
down enough for business to return to normal.
The black ash that filled the sky now covers the steep winding roads of Etna’s
countryside. And the air in Nicolosi has a smoky, sulfur smell.
Tourists and onlookers have flocked to Nicolosi to get as close as possible to the
natural wonder, creating more of a carnival-like atmosphere than one of worry and concern.
Drivers have been warned of the reduced traction on the roads due to the volcanic ash,
but it hasn’t stopped them from filling Nicolosi’s streets.
Even if the lava stays away from the town, Etna’s ash has reached almost everyone
near the volcano.
"It’s driving my wife crazy," Alvarez said of the frequent dustings his
town has been getting from Etna’s eruptions. "She can’t keep the house
clean, and [the ash] is like an abrasive. It will really tear up the paint on your
car."
For now, it looks like the mountain’s activity has died down, and officials are
optimistic that populated areas will be spared from Etna’s recent activity.
"But in a way, I hope it doesn’t stop," Alvarez said. He is expecting
his son, Kenny, who is in the States, for a summer visit next month. "I want him to
be able to see this. It’s very exciting and intriguing."
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