This paper was recently published in volume 13 (2018/2019) of Trail Six, UBC Geography’s undergraduate journal. To read the full paper, please click here to visit the Trail Six site.
ABSTRACT
On November 13th, 1985, the small town of Armero, Colombia was destroyed by volcanic mudslides following the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz and over 22,000 people were killed. The eruption did not come without warning as the volcano stirred to life again one year prior. Colombia’s lack of financial capital and in- country volcanologists combined with a severe lack of political will created the conditions that led to the 1985 disaster. To tell the story of the night of November 13th, 1985, this paper recounts the history of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano before detailing the events immediately following the eruption. Three key human errors are identified as having compounded to cause the disaster: 1) actions not taken until the last minute, 2) conflicting sources of information from key officials, and 3) a reluctance to implement low-technology monitoring systems. An assessment of how these errors ultimately caused the disaster in Armero is provided. Ultimately, this paper finds that the loss of life in Armero could have been prevented had officials followed through on their monitoring and disaster management plans and had the townspeople been properly informed of the risks of the eruption before it was too late to act.
REFERENCES
Angelo, C. (1985, November 19). Eruption Began As Floating Ash, Ended As Mudslide Burying Towns. The Associated Press. Retrieved from https://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=asp00000200111 25dhbj00ml5&cat=a&ep=ASE
Augliere, B. (2016). Benchmarks: November 13, 1985: Nevado del Ruiz eruption triggers deadly lahars. Earth Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/benchmarks-november-13-1985- nevado-del-ruiz-eruption-triggers-deadly-lahars
Barberi, F., Martini, M., & Rosi, M. (1990). Nevado del Ruiz (Colombia): pre- eruption observations and the November 13, 1985 catastrophic event. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 42, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0273(90)90066-O
Graham, B. (1985). Disaster Spurs Bitter Disputes Colombians Criticize Failure to Warn Town, Inept Rescue Effort. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://global.factiva.com/redir/default.aspx?P=sa&an=wp00000020011 125dhbo01183&cat=a&ep=ASE
Hall, M. (1990). Chronology of the principal scientific and governmental actions leading up to the November 13, 1985 eruption of Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 42, 101-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0273(90)90072-N
Stoiber, R., & Williams, S. (1990). Monitoring active volcanoes and mitigating volcanic hazards: the case for including simple approaches. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 42, 129-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0273(90)90074-P
Villegas, H. (2003). Display of the Nevado del Ruiz Volcanic Hazard Map Using GIS. Geocarto International, 18(3), 5-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10106040308542276
Voight, B. (1990). The 1985 Nevado del Ruiz volcano catastrophe: anatomy and retrospection. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 44, 349- 386. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-0273(90)90027-D
United Nations. (2016). GDP and its breakdown at current prices in US Dollars [Data file]. Retrieved from https://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/dnllist.asp