ARMERO TRAGEDY

ARMERO, AN ENDLESS TRAGEDY

A disaster that ended the lives of an entire town

Johan Sebastian Ramírez Rozo. Maria Paula Rodríguez Niño. Maria Paula Rojas Duarte. Maria Fernanda Sandoval López Paula Andrea Rodríguez Prado.

Presented by:

Content

01

02

03

Volcanic activity before the tragedy

A small video introduction.

Armero before the tragedy.

04

05

06

The tragedy.

Repercussions.

Statistics.

07

08

09

Stories.

Armero "holy land".

Armero today.

A short video to introduce our topic

Armero before the tragedy

It was known as the "White City" for consider it the cotton capital of Tolima. It had the services of a modern city, such as electrification, aqueduct, sewerage and urban telephones, banking services, and a good economic and fiscal situation, due to its extensive commercial, livestock and agricultural development.

Volcanic activity before 1985 eruption

1845 eruption

1595 eruption

The tragedy

In November 13, 1985, the volcano erupted generating four lahars that descended through the river valleys. The combination of clay, water, ice and rocks descended rapidly towards Armero, dragging everything and causing thousands of deaths.

Seismic activity in late 1984.

Preparation and evacuation attempts.

Eruption.

Government negligence.

Rescue efforts.

In September 1985, as earthquakes and phreatic eruptions rocked the area, local officials began planning for an evacuation.

In late 1984, geologists noticed that seismic activity in the area had begun to increase.

At 9:09 p.m., on November 13, 1985, Nevado del Ruiz ejected dacitic tephra more than 30 kilometres into the atmosphere.

The negligence of the local authorities in the face of the threat of the volcano led to a strong controversy.

Efforts were organized in Ibagué and Bogotá for Armero and in Cali for Chinchina, where medical teams gathered.

Repercussions

A lack of preparation for the disaster contributed to the high death toll. Armero had been built on an alluvial fan that had been overrun by historic mudflows; authorities had ignored a hazard-zone map that showed the potential damage to the town from lahars.

Residents stayed inside their dwellings to avoid the falling ash, as local officials had instructed them to do, not thinking that they might be buried by the mudflows.

Statistics

It is estimated that 230,000 people in total suffered due to this event

STORIES

Omayra Sanchez, a victim of this catastrophe

Luz Helena García, survivor of the Armero disaster.

Armero "holy land"

Pope John Paul II flew over Armero and then visited Lérida's refugee camps with Colombian President Belisario Betancur. He spoke about the disaster and declared the site of Armero "holy land"

Armero today

Visitor center and museum

Ruins

Children’s park

Main Highway

Residential area

Factory

San Lorenzo hospital

Carmen Church

Spot where Pope John Paul II prayed

Founders Park

Bank vault

Memorials

References

• Infobae (2020). Recovered from: https://www.infobae.com/america/colombia/2020/11/13/video-asi-era-armero-antes-de-la-tragedia/
• Mora, P. (2018). Armero antes de la tragedia. Emaze. https://app.emaze.com/@AOFOOTWLF#1.
• Science (1986). Recovered from: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/233/4767/961.abstract
• USGS (2001). Recovered from: https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/ofr-01-0276/
• BBC (2005). Recovered from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/13/newsid_2539000/2539731.stm
• El Heraldo (2015). Recovered from: https://www.elheraldo.co/nacional/las-cifras-de-la-tragedia-de-armero-228183
• La Nación (2020). Recovered from: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/el-mundo/omayra-sanchez-nina-agonizo-tres-dias-murio-nid2333499/
• Machado, J. (2019). Salvados de la avalancha, pero no de las secuelas. El Tiempo. https://www.eltiempo.com/colombia/otras-ciudades/historias-de-sobrevivientes-a-la-tragedia-de-armero-432914
• Nomadic Niko (2018). The Armero Tragedy. Recovered from: https://nomadicniko.com/2018/03/24/armero-tragedy/

Thank you!