Volcano eruption spurs warning

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, April 28, 2004

SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — A volcano has erupted on an uninhabited Pacific island, and authorities warned people living about 75 miles away to protect themselves from volcanic ash.

The volcano, Anatahan, began erupting Sunday after nearly a year of inactivity, sending a plume of steam and ash as high as 3,500 feet. The plume’s maximum height has remained about 2,000 feet since then.

Saipan, capital of the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is about 75 miles south of Anatahan. About 70,000 people live on the islands, 3,800 miles southwest of Hawaii.

The plume has not been confirmed to be headed toward the inhabited area, but any change in wind direction could send it there, said Mark Pangelinan of the commonwealth’s Emergency Management Office.

People with respiratory problems should stay in air-conditioned rooms, Health Secretary James Hofschneider said. Residents also should not drink water that collected in rainwater catchments because it could be tainted with unsafe levels of ash, he said.

"Dangerous levels of fluorine and other metals are found in the ash and can be harmful if ingested," he said.

Anatahan erupted from May to August last year, covering its island in several feet of ash but causing no casualties or damage to communities. Regional and international flights had to be rerouted for two days at the peak of last year’s eruption.

Ash clouds, which can spread out and drift for days over thousands of miles, can endanger aircraft by clogging engines, lowering visibility and keeping instruments from operating properly.

The Northern Mariana Islands have nine active volcanoes.

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