Chile Forum

10:45 pm. HUGE rumble and shake here in Futa. I don't know if its a new eruption, or not.

Vicki

Vicky, thank you for posting your reports.
Please stay safe.

Thanks So-Cal. I think we are pretty safe, the people that is. For animals, I think the situation is quite dire. But that is also being assessed. I think it's the biggest issue of all. I have been reading this site:

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash/agric/ind ... #livestock

It describes the problems livestock have with even 1 mm of volacnic ash, and we have more than an inch, Chaiten even more than that.

The other issues are something that didn't occur to me this morning. Chaiten is Futa's life line. Our supplies, gas, food, money, and services all comes from Chaiten. It is now essentially a ghost town, and the road from there to here is not passable. Of course we are very close to Argentina, but gas, animal food, money and many products such as dairy, meat, and veggies cannot come across.

The ATM was not working for me today, and I had just paid the stone mason yesterday, so we have no cash. Luckily, Futa is a small town and I was able to get milk, food and "spirits" on credit.

Suffice to say, our electric for our new home will not be hooked up anytime soon! So we will ride this out, pitch in where we can to help out, and consider this one of the wildest adventures we never planned on!

Until next time...

Vicki and Greg

I keep checking the forum for any new news about what is happening in Futa since none of the major news stations in the States has anything about it. I was surprised this morning that my server had it on their front welcome page, but no updates.
Vicki was keeping me up to date most of yesterday about their situation, but hasn't been on yet today
Hope all is ok with everyone in that area.

just talked to her on the phone. Everyone seems to be doing o.k.

We have received word that Chaiten has been fully evacuated / everyone left, accept for about 30 people that are keeping the lights on.

Good Day, it's May 3rd. The ash fell throughout the night, and continues today. While the ash yesterday was grayish, todays new layers appear white. The ash is avalanching off roofs, creating plumes of the nasty stuff! There isn't much more to tell, and with the additional layer of ash, we have decided not to venture into el campo. We have to conserve gasoline also. I may take my flour and yeast over to the landlords house and see if he would like to bake bread today (I have no oven here).

Vicki
(I'll be on with you in a bit Mom!)

here are some of this morning headlines and photos.

The photos and videos of the eruption are really spectacular with lighting striking all around the eruption. It is a bit demonic looking really.

http://www.chilevision.cl/home/index.ph ... Itemid=180

http://www.lun.com/

We hear that the decision to evacuate Futa may occur in the next few hours. 600 residents have left already we are told.

The president is suppose to be in the area today.

More later

We just spoke to the mayor's office in Futa. They are actively encouraging people to leave, and offering assistance to anyone that wants to leave and does not have the means.

It is not a mandatory evacuation.

This is helping take some of the stress off the local resources, especially the water.

well, just watched the news. We got to watch the president get chewed by the local residents in Chaiten telling her she has been ignoring the region for years, and now she shows up and everyone knows Chaiten. They evacuated her, and not because of the volcano.

They are starting to evacuate Futa in the morning, and they are sending 20 buses. At this point it is voluntary, but they are expecting it to become increasingly hard to get supplies now that Chaiten is cut off and no one is really sure what will happen with the volcano.

It seems the heavy rain did not really materialize today like hoped (still trying to figure out if that will be good or bad).

By the way, we talked to someone in Futa today who said they seen her plane do a fly by. Guess after Chaiten she did not want a second thrashing on the national news.

Charles, Yes, a plane made several passes over Futa today as my neighbors and I hauled out buckets and jugs to fill up with potable water. Of course she was probably checking out the rivers to dam, as opposed to being concerned about all the people and livestock. Because if she was really concerned, there would have already been truckloads of supplemental feed, tanks of gas, people food and more water trucked in via Argentina. Our water today came from several hundred kilometers south, over treacherous roads, driving on fuel that cost $5 US a gallon. People in Aisen have sent some help, and they are the people STILL waiting for help from the Seniora after the devastating earthquakes and sunami-type wave that devastated them LAST YEAR.

Anyway, no matter how long it takes, this region will get back on it's feet, probably by itself. I don't know how long it will be until we can get back and re-start what we were almost starting!

"Starstruck, moonstruck, landstruck, struck or just plain stricken - by the beauty. Screaming mountains, thorny rhubarb, snaking rivers, crashing waterfalls greet us ..."

Better get my butt busy and pack a backpack! 'Til Later!

Vicki

I should add that Futa is quiet, still quite a few people here. No one is panicking except for grave concerns over animals. Aside from that, the stores are open, hospital quiet, lights on (for most of the time). People are hauling buckets of water from Lago Espejo here by our rental cabin for use in toilets. I suspect it's easier to displace these people who have little money, and few resources, than to get water and food to them. (And we brush our hands of them as easily as volcanic ash) Easier for Chile, not for them.

grrrrrrrr

Vicki

Beating a dead horse....


It just dawned on me that the Chilean government might have been wise to ship Futa to Argentina, knowing that Futan's take care of Futans, and would/will send food, water, and other help back from Argentina, negating the need for Santiago to actually do anything but boast about the strong fortitude of it's southern citizens. Sorry, getting cynical at this time of night with my backpack packed and a shroud of ash and doom hanging over the town.

Vicki