Volcanic eruptions in Spain have destroyed the lives of the locals, but tourists have been rushing to see them

More than six weeks after the eruption in the Spanish resort of La Palma, nearly 1,000 acres of land were destroyed, 2,562 buildings were destroyed and more than 7,000 people were displaced. So far, there is still no indication that volcanic eruption activity will soon stop.

"Lava engulfed my house, I went to my grandmother's house, and then the lava engulfed my grandmother's house again."

According to the BBC Spanish website, the trajectory of many families on the island of La Palma was completely changed 6 weeks ago, some people were displaced to sleep in improvised tents, some people lost their livelihoods overnight, some people had to say goodbye to their pets... Rodrigo, 10, said his home was engulfed in lava, so he moved in with his grandmother, which in turn engulfed her grandmother's home.

With a total of 83,000 inhabitants, more than 7,000 people have lost their homes and thousands of buildings have been destroyed. In order to ensure children's education, some temporary schools were set up. On the walls of a classroom there are pictures of volcanic eruptions drawn by children, and in Sergio's paintings, the volcano is magnificent and ferocious, engulfing his grandfather's house.

Christina, a teacher, said that according to the epidemic prevention regulations, the windows need to be opened for ventilation in class, but the outside of the house is full of ashes, and they must keep the doors and windows closed. Kids can't even play outside.

Architect Henry Garitano Perez lived in the town of Todoque, where he lost his home and studio after the eruption. When the pretty little white church collapsed when Henry got married, many of the inhabitants lost hope, but Henry did not. "My roots are in lava below 15 meters, and I must regenerate the community." Henry said. Usually, a year after the end of a volcanic eruption, the lava cools to a certain level before it can begin to rebuild its homes.

For resident Darciel Battista, his world has shrunk to the size of a caravan, and his family has been uprooted and scattered across the island. But he said optimistically, "I'm good in the caravan with my kids and pets, at least not on the street." ”

At present, the damage caused by the volcanic eruption has exceeded 100 million euros, and Prime Minister Alexis Sanchez once again promised the people that the bailout money would be issued as soon as possible. However, a large number of people still angrily said that they had not received subsidies.

A steady stream of tourists land on the island to see the volcano "style"

The National newspaper notes that the southeastern region of La Palma island is a banana growing ground and the second largest banana orchard in the Canary Islands. Farmers watched in despair as lava engulfed their plantations. A considerable part of the local population grows crops such as bananas for a living, and everyone is very depressed.

"It destroys not only crops, but also land. These soils are also not suitable for replanting. One farmer said. Thousands of families will have no income for two years.

Just as the people are anxious, a steady stream of tourists are on the island to see the volcanic eruption that has never been seen in a thousand years.

"Antena3" TV reported that on October 30, about 10,000 tourists landed on the island. One tourist said: "I don't want to miss this natural wonder, especially the sound of volcanic flowing at night, which will be impressive. ”

In order to receive a steady stream of tourists, La Palma Island even offers a free shuttle.

This has made many people affected by the disaster very angry, believing that their disaster situation is being consumed. In this regard, the head of the La Palma Island Tourism Bureau came forward to reassure, "I understand everyone's feelings, I am also a victim of the disaster, but the disaster has caused irreparable, we must raise our spirits to see how to use the disaster to create an economy." ”

The pillar of the local economy is tourism in addition to bananas, and tourists on the island rushed away in the weeks before the eruption. Now, the tourists are back.

To date, the volcano on La Palma Island has exceeded a 40-day active period. It still shows no signs of an end. The longest locally recorded eruption lasted 84 days, and scientists no longer rule out that the eruption is approaching or even exceeding the extremes.

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