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gixxerific
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Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Be safe my freind. If you need a place to stay, you can come here. You can tend my garden while I'm at work. Give you something to do.

I'll be waiting.

Dono :cool:

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lorax
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Posts: 1316
Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:48 pm
Location: Ecuador, USDA Zone 13, at 10,000' of altitude

Ha! The volcano hits NorAm news just as the IGEPN says it's winding down its eruption. Too funny. We're all safe here, and if the IGEPN and the disaster comittee gives the all-clear they'll likely go home tomorrow. We'll see what the morning brings - this morning at 7 am there was still quite a bit of ash being ejected, but apparently there have been fewer explosions and no pyroclastic flows over the last couple of days (if you're interested and read Spanish, you can follow the volcano's activity at www.igepn.edu.ec by clicking on "Informes / Volcanicos" and selecting the informes for Tungurahua.)

The ash damage, however, is not less than expected - it's on par with the last big eruption, and the sierra centro will likely lose most of the potatoes, corn, red onion, broad bean, and pasture that was planted. Coastal farmers are sending reject plantain and other fodder up for the ranchers, because they can't allow their cows and goats to eat ashy grass. The cost of food is already starting to rise.

We're not sure yet how the eruption will affect the citrus, peach, and plum crops - the citrus was just set when it started, and the peaches and plums were just starting to bloom. Likely the farmers will have to hand-pollinate; the beekeepers packed up their hives on the first day of reactivation (ash is very bad for bees.)

However, on the bright side, nobody lost their homes or lives! Also, the next planting after the ashfall stops will be a bumper crop, since the ash is a terriffic fertilizer and will renew all of the fields it falls on.

Gixx - I live in the central sierra's evacuation zone; I'm fine even if Cotopaxi blows up (which will be a St. Helens type event when it happens.) It was part of the reason for choosing Ambato.

Plus I'm on the US no-fly list....

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gixxerific
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Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Glad things are looking up for you.

Though I'm sad your not coming to stay with me. I would have really enjoyed your company. :cry:

Good luck with everything. You know what they say "This too will pass".

Dono



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