The Ecuador volcano, Mt. Cotopaxi, has erupted several times Friday, prompting Ecuador's president Rafael Correa to declare a state of emergency Saturday. The Ecuador volcano is near the capital of Quito, and officials have decided to evacuate the few hundred residents in the area as a precaution.
Due to the state of emergency, government authorities now have more flexibility in utilizing the country's funds in order to better deal with the problem. So far, residents in and near Quito have been evacuated to make-shift shelters placed at a safe distance from the Ecuador volcano, according to The Inquisitr.
Dozens of families are now residing inside tents as well as improvised camps as volcanic activity from Mt. Cotopaxi is continuously being monitored. The evacuees themselves have also organised the situation on their own, discussing ways on surviving from how to feed their animals to staying warm as cold temperature arises.
Meanwhile, officials from the government are reportedly present so they could discuss with the families on how to move to more formal shelters, according to Al Jazeera.
"We have come here because we saw that here were could be in a higher location, more or less, to safeguard ourselves, all of us, all of us who are here and we are hoping that the authorities who are in charge of the Risk department give us space," said evacuee Arturo Biracucha.
Starting Friday, tons of ash have been spewed out by the Ecuador volcano, with some eruptions shooting more than five kilometres of it into the sky. The fine grey powder have already spread over the region's roads, homes and cars.
Alexis Mera, the Presidential legal secretary, said that what led to the evacuations in nearby villages were the ash explosions and pyroclastic flows on the Ecuador volcano's western slopes Saturday.
Mt. Cotopaxi is reportedly among the world's most dangerous volcanoes. This is due to its glacial covering, making it more likely to produce fast-moving volcanic rock and mud flows, also called lahares. The Ecuador volcano's last major eruption was in 1877, reported The Guardian.
Ecuador's president declares state of emergency over increasing activity by Cotopaxi volcano https://t.co/gQcaRukOoM pic.twitter.com/HoOwnxLwQv
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 16, 2015
