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Ecuador Declares State of Emergency Over Volcano

Posted by samzenpus on from the get-out-of-town dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The President of Ecuador declared a state of emergency following growing fears over the increasing activity in the Cotopaxi volcano. Rafael Correa ordered the evacuation of a few hundred people who live near the volcano as a precaution. The first signs of eruption began last Friday when hot ash shot out of the volcano, covering areas up to 30 miles away. The volcano's last major eruptive period occurred in the late 19th century

44 comments

  1. Cool, interesting story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Thanks for posting!

  2. Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Volcanoes rock.

    1. Re:Cool. by fustakrakich · · Score: 2

      Actually they hurl chunks...

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
    2. Re: Cool. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ... which is pretty metal.

  3. Dumbing Down? by Ginger_Chris · · Score: 2

    The C in CBBC stands for children's. Surely there has to be a better, more informative source that CBBC's newsround "the home of news and fun facts for kids". Even the actual BBC website is slightly better .

    1. Re:Dumbing Down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What does this have to do with technology news? And what a vacant article. There's not even a map. How is this unique versus the hundreds of other active volcanos?

    2. Re:Dumbing Down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      As we are allways told this a mainly a 'merkins site then the 'dumbed down' childrens bbc report IS the correct level for it's audience reading comprehension!

    3. Re:Dumbing Down? by Brett+Buck · · Score: 1

      This is not reddit. It is, however, a place for nerds. The sort of nerds who assume that their extensive programming/clerk typist skills translate to expertise in politics, literature, religion, science, math, statistics, and nearly every other field of human endeavor. And are old enough and arrogant enough to shout down anyone who disagrees. From their mom's basement, while carrying on a heated discussion about how "Jedi" is a real religion.

    4. Re:Dumbing Down? by amiga3D · · Score: 1

      Well it's interesting that it's been over a hundred years since the last eruption. One in Mexico has been spitting ash recently as well. It could be that the ring of fire is heating up. Volcanos are nerd news even if it's not the latest tech.

    5. Re:Dumbing Down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh look, you are "famous" now. :)
      https://www.reddit.com/r/slashdot/comments/3haqhr/slashdot_or_reddit_really_good_description_of/

      BTW, your description of nerds is spot on. +1

  4. El presidente! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm currently playing with the game Tropico 4 and when I read this news... I laughed!

    1. Re:El presidente! by Rei · · Score: 1

      The funny thing is that there's probably not too many people to evacuate, given that indigenous groups (among others) are currently in Quito protesting "El Presidente" over the destruction of their lands ;)

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    2. Re: El presidente! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes. Protests against the dictator kicked up this week after having died down after last month's papal visit. Protestors were trying to oust the dictator after he implemented a 70% inheritance tax, one of many social reforms that began with a complete ban on gun ownership, followed by repealing term limits for the President himself, and now, closing the economy to foreign trade and redistributing what little wealth remains. Fortunately for Mr. Correa, Cotopaxi burped a bit of ash on Friday, and now he can use the volcano as a guise for suspending freedom of the press and the right to assemble. How convenient.

    3. Re:El presidente! by Kilobug · · Score: 2

      Actually, Correa is one of the president with the highest popular support in the region, if not in the world. Above 60% of approval rating, which is very high after being in power since 7 years in a country that is use to political instability. Mostly because he has a very strong economical record (greatly reduced poverty and unemployment, high growth, massive improvements in infrastructure, healthcare and education, ...).

      There are some protests going on since a few months, but they are from a tiny heterogeneous minority, the bulk of the protests being from right-wing movements upset at the new tax reforms he is pushing that will increase the load on the ~2% richest (a new inheritance tax that will mostly hit the 0.1% richest and somewhat the 2% richest, and leave the 98% other untouched), combined with a few extreme left movement who are unhappy of Correa being more of a pragmatist and not reforming fast enough and some extreme ecological movements who oppose mining and oil extraction (but how can a country like Ecuador develop itself without using its natural resources ?)

    4. Re:El presidente! by Rei · · Score: 2

      Actually, his support in polls is down to 45%. His "strong economic record" was built on the back of high oil prices and hence is steadily falling apart in this new low price regime.

      The estate tax is only one source of discontent. The natives really could care less about it, their biggest gripe is the continued destruction of their lands for oil extraction and power generation. The unions are mad at Correa's attempts to strip them of their power. Senior citizens groups are mad about cuts to pensions. And lots of people in general are mad at his attempts to repeal term limits and his actions against free speech, an independent press and an independent judiciary that have made Ecuador's global rankings in these regards plummet during his term.

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    5. Re: El presidente! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Saddam Hussein had a 90% approval rating, and Maduro has something like 70%. Do you really believe these poll numbers?

      The fact is, protests have been going on daily for months now. People are being rounded up. The internet, on cue, unexpectedly cuts out every time they bring out the helicopter. Now after some of the biggest protests yet, Sr. Correa suspends right to assembly and right to free speech, over a volcano? You are dense if you believe hebis anything but a dictator.

      Foreign investment is completely gone. The Galapagos tourism is shutting down. Taxes are WAYY up, did you not mention that because it didnt fit your narrative? When the conservatives AND the indeginous are teaming up, you know something is wrong.

  5. Cotopaxi overlords by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I,for one, welcome our lava hurling Cotopaxian overlords!

  6. Stupid people by slashmydots · · Score: 1

    I didn't think people were stupid enough to still live next to volcanoes after thousands of years of reasons not to but then there's Ecuador.

    1. Re:Stupid people by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      People live near volcanoes all over the world. They also build cities where hurricanes repeatedly strike, in flood plains, where tornadoes are likely to hit, etc. And when their homes are destroyed repeatedly they rebuild, usually asking for the government to help them out because they were surprised that such an event happened.

    2. Re:Stupid people by DaMattster · · Score: 4, Informative

      It isn't stupidity. The land near volcanos is quite fertile so an agrarian society would flourish.

    3. Re:Stupid people by currently_awake · · Score: 4, Informative

      People love living near volcanoes because of how rich the volcanic soil is. And flood deltas have nice flat ground, easily cleared for building.

    4. Re:Stupid people by amiga3D · · Score: 3

      Looked at Seattle lately? It's like 60 miles or so from Mt. Rainier. A Mount St. Helen's style eruption would devastate the city. It wouldn't do Tacoma much good either.

    5. Re:Stupid people by amiga3D · · Score: 2

      It's easy to ignore a threat that may not be realized for a hundred years or more. It's kind of like gambling. The odds are you'll be fine. But.....you might get wiped out if you're unlucky.

    6. Re:Stupid people by AaronW · · Score: 2

      It doesn't help that Mt. Rainier is also rotten, full of hollow caves and eaten away by sulfuric acid. The most dangerous part is that it is quite unstable and will create a cataclysmic flash flood of mud, rock and ice, known as a lahar. About 150,000 people live on top of old lahar deposits.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      --
      This post is encrypted twice with ROT-13. Documenting or attempting to crack this encryption is illegal.
    7. Re:Stupid people by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Don't live near any coast, for fear of Tsunamis.
      Don't life in the Midwest, for fear of tornadoes.
      Don't live near any fault lines, for fear of earthquakes.
      Don't live in hot climates, for fear of droughts and wildfires.
      Don't live in norther climates, for fear of blizzards.
      Don't live near volcanoes, for fear of eruptions.
      Don't live in the jungles, for fear of diseases.
      Don't live on a hillside, for fear of mudslides.
      Don't live on a river plain, for fear of flooding.
      Don't live in Africa, as a lion might eat you.
      Don't life in Canada or Alaska, as a bear might eat you.
      Don't live in Florida, as an alligator might eat you.
      Don't live in Australia, since everything is venomous.
      etc, etc...

      There are very few places on earth where nature doesn't occasionally try to kill you.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    8. Re:Stupid people by Rei · · Score: 1

      I'm wondering how exactly I'm not supposed to live near a volcano (I live in Iceland). Am I supposed to move to Greenland and commute?

      --
      "99 dead duelists of Dios on the wall. 99 dead duelists of Dios! Take one's ring, pass it around..."
    9. Re: Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or half of Italy. Or the whole of the USA which will be totalled when Yellowstone blows.

    10. Re:Stupid people by Snotnose · · Score: 1

      Hmmm, recent story about how Amazon is a crappy place to work. Microsoft has been a crappy company for 20-30 years. Both based in Seattle.

      Question: Is the country better or worse off if Mt Rainier blows?

      / if this doesn't get moderated troll I'm either disappointed, or I've tapped into something ala Trump.

    11. Re:Stupid people by LVSlushdat · · Score: 1

      Or how about Mexico City, right underneath the Popo volcano... umpteen million population, right next to a volcano that shows all the signs of becoming quite active... Don't wanna think about trying to evacuate a city that size.... shudder

      --
      THANK YOU, Edward Snowden!! Americans owe you a debt of gratitude (whether they know it or not..)
    12. Re:Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The lahar is a serious issue. It's one thing if we want to build commercially in those zones. But when it becomes residential, it'd be devastating. Even if people somehow managed to get adequate warning to get to high ground, I can't imagine how so many (possibly poor people) would manage after becoming homeless especially since we don't really take care of the homeless and poor in this country with which to begin.

    13. Re:Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yea, so are fields covered in dead bodies. In order to save Gaia, we must kill millions of people (preferably whites) to decrease their carbon footprint so we can grow organic gardens to feed the billions of disadvantaged South American poor that can live in the USA on the dead bodies of crackers.

      It is only right.

      If you don't agree with me you are a racist. Seriously

    14. Re:Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hear the climate at Death Valley stays pretty constant. Try go grow something there, will ya?

    15. Re:Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go tell that to the Pompeyans.

    16. Re:Stupid people by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not all of the Midwest gets tornadoes.

      Blizzards rarely kill, rarely destroy your home, and rarely require evacuations.

      Just because nature can be a b*tch, doesn't mean she always kills people.

      If you can afford to relocate, then it makes sense to choose a location where the chance of natural disasters are minimized. Some of your locations really should be avoided. Others are just melodramatic B.S.

    17. Re:Stupid people by RockDoctor · · Score: 1

      There are very few places on earth where nature doesn't occasionally try to kill you.

      And don't live in solar systems with un-controlled asteroids floating around, for they too have a long record of hitting planets and causing very large numbers of deaths.

      Is that all cases covered?

      (You'll note that I'm not repeating the "asteroids cause mass extinctions" meme, because I'm not 100% convinced that has been proven. Lots of deaths certainly ; mass extinctions, the jury is back out.)

      --
      Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  7. What about next to or near the volcano? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yeah, over the volcano is probably a dangerous place to be, but there aren't many people there.

    Next topic: How to write a clear headline.

  8. Morons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Build your life in an actual country. You know, with government and regulations that prevent you from doing stupid shit like building your house in a flood/landslide/earthquake/tornado/dumbass zone.

    1. Re:Morons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Like California, with the SA Fault ?
      Yellowstone supervolcano ?
      tornado alley ?
      new Orleans ?
      Florida & hurricanes ?

  9. Assuage the volcano with Assange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Throw Assange in. He's a virgin.

  10. Well, duh by dunkelfalke · · Score: 0

    First the volcano erupts, next thing you know the Argonians invade.

    --
    "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever" -- David St. Hubbins, Spinal Tap
  11. Re: My children live up there... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My children live up there... you insensitive clod. So I need to hear about the state of emergency!