Pacific islanders warned to prepare for volcanic ash dump

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (AFP) Apr 28, 2004
Residents of a US territory in the north Pacific were Wednesday warned to prepare against a heavy dump of ash after a volcano burst back into life.

The volcano on Anatahan Island in the Northern Mariana Islandsbecame active again Sunday, a year after its last major eruption.

The CNMI Emergency Management Office (EMO) said Anatahan was sending out regular puffs of yellow-brown steam and ash at one to two-minute intervals.

In an advisory, Health Secretary James Hofschneider encouraged residents with breathing problems and other ailments to try to stay indoors and limit their exposure to the ash clouds, while emergency services were put on alert.

CNMI has a population of around 80,000, most of them living on the island of Saipan.

Acting EMO Director Mark Pangelinan said while volcanic plume has not been confirmed to be headed in the direction of the populated islands of the CNMI, any change in wind direction may affect residents.

Public Health advised anyone with rainwater catchments not to drink water that may have collected during the volcanic activity, and to cover the catchment system to protect the drinking water.

Anatahan is a 33 square kilometre (13 square miles) island, 128 kilometres (80 miles) north of here and just over 322 kilometres (200 miles) north of Guam. It is around 2,250 kilometres (1,400 miles) south of Tokyo.

TERRA.WIRE