Ecuador - Volcano
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Regional Team: LAC
Disaster Declared: 08/22/06
Brief Description: On August 16, the 5,000-meter volcano Tungurahua, located approximately 140 km south of Quito, erupted producing 8,000 metric tons of volcanic material and damaging or destroying 7 villages. The eruption killed 5 people and forced approximately 19,000 people in the provinces of Tungurahua, Chimborazo, Bolívar, Los Ríos, Guayas, and Manabí to evacuate. According to the Government of Ecuador’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the ash fall destroyed more than 23,000 hectares of agricultural lands. Increased sediment loads also resulted in the closure of the hydroelectric plant located near the town of Ulva, between Los Baños and Puyo.
On August 19 and 20, two OFDA regional advisors and two USAID/Ecuador staff traveled to the affected areas to assess the extent of damage and recommend assistance. On August 22, U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Linda L. Jewell declared a disaster due to the magnitude of damage caused by the volcano. In response, OFDA provided $50,000 through USAID/Ecuador to the American Red Cross in support of the Ecuadorian Red Cross for the local purchase and transport of emergency relief supplies. OFDA also funded the U.S. Geological Survey Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to replace seismic-monitoring equipment destroyed in the eruption. (VDAP has provided technical assistance and volcano-monitoring equipment to Ecuador’s Instituto Geofísico since 1999.) Through an existing training arrangement with Ecuadorian counterparts, the U.S. Department of Defense Southern Command deployed a Medical Readiness Training Exercise team of physicians to the affected areas to provide medical services to the local population.
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