Colombia evacuates families near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano

• Authorities are evacuating residents near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.
• State agencies remain on alert.
• The Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia is active.

Colombian authorities confirmed that they remain on alert due to increased activity in the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. According to  The Associated Press, the level of activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in Colombia rose on Friday and they warned of possible evacuations.

The volcano is located at 5,321 meters above sea level on the axis of the country’s central mountain range and on the border between the departments of Tolima and Caldas. It has a glacial mass, so its activity can generate sudden thaws.

Colombia on alert for increased activity of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano

The National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) asked the local authorities that are within the area of ​​influence of the volcano to prepare for an eventual emergency by adapting marked evacuation routes and meeting points for the population.

In recent days the level of activity of the volcano was yellow, a category that indicates changes in its behavior that include ash emissions, earthquakes, noise and odors of volcanic gases. Now it has been raised to orange, which indicates that an eruption is likely in a matter of days or weeks.

Activity at Nevado del Ruiz has been consistently monitored since 1985

The next, and last, level is red, when an eruption is imminent or in progress. The UNGRD and the Colombian Geological Service indicated in a statement that the eruptive events of the volcano in the last decade have been minor and in most cases have been limited to the surrounding areas.

The activity of the volcano has been monitored consistently since 1985, the year in which an eruption killed about 25,000 people in Armero, in the department of Tolima, according to The Associated Press.

The risk level has been raised to orange

According to CNN, authorities reported that the risk level of the volcano has been raised to orange: «In this case, the orange level is equivalent to the fact that, given the changes registered in the volcano’s activity, there is a probability that in days or weeks the Nevado del Ruiz volcano will erupt more than it has in the last decade.»

“This volcano has been in an eruptive process for approximately 10 years, but all the eruptive events that have occurred in this period have been minor and, in most cases, their affectation has been limited to the areas around the volcano depending on the direction of the wind. For this reason, it is possible that this volcanic phenomenon continues to occur without implying a greater risk,» the statement concluded.