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Hazards (Volcano) - Mt. Nyiragongo - Coggle Diagram
Hazards (Volcano) - Mt. Nyiragongo
Location
Mount Nyiragongo is a composite volcano located in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The volcano consists of a 2km wide crater, usually filled with a lava lake, and is only 20km away from the city of Goma
located on a divergent plate boundary where the African plate is being pulled apart into the Nubian plate
Primary Impacts
The volcanic activity destroyed 12,500 homes
At least 15% of Goma was covered by lava
80 % of the airstrips at Goma International Airport were covered in lava
The majority of the 200 deaths were caused by carbon monoxide poisoning
400,000 people were evacuated
There were drinking water shortages due to the disruption caused to main water supplies
Secondary Impacts
Acid rain fell due to the reaction of volcanic gases in the atmosphere, damaging farmland
Refugee camps were overcrowded as 120,000 homeless needed emergency shelters
Overcrowding and poor hygiene conditions led to the spread of cholera in refugee camps
After people evacuated Goma, looting broke out
Short-term Management
The damage to Goma’s airport disrupted the arrival of international aid.
The United Nations sent 260 tonnes of food
UK Oxfam sent 33 tonnes of water-cleansing equipment for 50,000 people in refugee camps
The £150,000 package mainly contained water purification kits
emergency measles vaccinations to 28,000 children to stop the spread in refugee camps
Long-term Planning
Officials have been retrained and provided with evacuation plans
Communities and schools now have evacuation drills to prepare people for future eruptions
Community officers have been trained to relay information
Vulcanologists to measure carbon dioxide emissions from the volcano
The large lava lake in Mount Nyiragongo is visible from above, so its levels can be carefully monitored to see if an eruption is impending.