El Hierro eruption

[Guineith]

I dreamt that El Hierro erupted and that the damage caused was out of all proportion to the scale of the eruption. The initial eruption itself was comparitively tiny (more towards the Ruapehu end of things than the Taupo for all you volcanologists out there...) but the damage that was caused was vast. The eruption created a cavity within the volcano and under the sea which then collapsed. This collapse, not the initial eruption, is what really did the damage.It was intially like a landslide and yes it did create a tsunami which was the hugely damaging bit. The tsunami was actually propelled by the volcanic explosion caused by the collapsing mountain, so it travelled faster than it otherwise might have. Thus, instead of having 6-8 hours to escape, people only had between 4 and 6 hours. This caught many poeple by surprise. My advice is that as soon as you hear that Northern El Hierro has erupted, even if it only seems to be a small eruption, get out of there, at least 40 miles inland and preferably closer to 100. 1500m will be a safe elevation.