On Monday, there was a sporadic low rumble that sounded like an idle motor towards the fringe of the town near the Popocatepetl volcano, away from the noise of traffic.
A superfine ash cloud dropped, partially obstructing the view and landing on the windshields of moving vehicles.
The 17,797-foot (5,425-meter) mountain, commonly called “El Popo,” has erupted explosively for over a week, sending vast gas, ash, and incandescent rock into the air.
It is located barely 45 miles (about 70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City.
The government of Mexico increased the degree of caution in response to the activity and closed schools in hundreds of localities across three states.
Local, state, and federal officials practiced evacuations on Monday. “You hear it more at night,” said 39-year-old Violeta Fuentes, who resides outside Santiago Xalitzintla with her husband and two children, aged 9 and 12.
They can also view the crater’s brightness at that time. Several times last night, it would go dark briefly before lighting back up.
The family was concerned about the effect the falling ash might have on their crops, and Fuentes admitted she was a little spooked by it “because you can see (the volcano) doesn’t want to be okay anymore.”
It was already applied to the maize belonging to her father-in-law across the street.
However, locals are accustomed to the alerts and precautions.
Driver Job Amalco claimed it was typical. “We are not afraid of it. We are bystanders. But some people started to feel more anxious.
Because you can’t predict whether there will be a large explosion or a minor one, Claudia de la Cruz, 27, who has two children aged 3 and 5, said it is particularly concerning for the youngsters.
Every day, her husband walks up the volcano’s flanks to gather firewood for charcoal. He claims that everything shakes and sounds like the peaks are collapsing, but he is brave for us, she remarked.
When De la Cruz first saw the mountain sparkle, she was just a young girl, and the locals had very little knowledge then. With a cellphone, she is confident they can monitor real-time events.
According to the Defense Department, 6,500 troops may be activated immediately in an emergency.
Shelters were constructed.
A 60-mile (100-kilometer) radius has around 25 million residents, most of whom reside in Mexico City’s metropolitan region.
After a decade-long hibernation, Popocatepetl awoke in 1994. From 2000 to 2003 and from 2012 to 2016, there were higher activity levels.
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