Canary Islands warning as Tenerife hit with 'emergency drill'

Authorities in a town in Tenerife have announced an “emergency drill” to prepare locals for when and if Mount Teide erupts. 

Residents in Garachico are being asked to take part in a week-long drill in September to prepare them for the volcano’s potential eruption.

Rosa Dávila, President of the Tenerife, Cabildo said the move was to ensure plans were in place and well-oiled when the historic volcano does eventually erupt. In a recent press conference, Ms Dávila stressed there were no signs pointing to an eruption in the short to medium term. 

She announced the agency would also increase monitoring efforts around Teide to improve its chances of detecting an eruption early. She said: “Science is our greatest ally. Our advanced monitoring network ensures that any significant volcanic change will be detected in time to take the necessary precautions.”

The Canary Islands Volcanological Institute (Involcan), the National Geographic Institute (IGN), and the Spanish Geological and Mining Institute (IGME) are said to be constantly monitoring the volcano, which last erupted in 1909.

Ms Dávila said cutting edge detection systems were in place and could quickly respond to underground changes. Garachico was chosen because it felt the full force of an eruption in 1706.

The drill will be overseen by the EU-Modex project, which facilitates disaster response training in Europe. The Spanish Army and the Military Emergency Unit will also take part.

Teams from Romania, Italy, Sweden, Austria and Ireland will also participate. The drill will last a week and will see authorities warn residents about the risks of a volcanic explosion and how to evacuate safely.

Ms Dávila said getting residents to engage was essential and would allow emergency responders to get helpful practice to prepare them for the real thing.

Mount Teide erupted in 1492, 1706 and again in 1798. The last known erupton was in 1909 from the El Chinyero vent on the Santiago Ridge. The 1706 explosion destroyed the town and principal port of Garachico, as well as several smaller villages.

In 2021, Cumbre Bieja volcano erupted on the Canary Island of La Palma and saw 7,000 people evacuated from their homes. It was the first eruption on the island since 1971 and the longest-ever recorded on the island, lasting 85 days and destroying 3,000 properties. 

In May last year, a study found the volcano the magma underneath it much bigger than previously thought. The study was led by the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) and the Environment Area of the Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER) together with the Complutense University of Madrid.

The main technique of the research was the use of receiver functions, a method that allows the seismic waves generated by eruptions to be studied in order to map the structure of the earth’s crust and upper mantle down to depths of 31 miles (50 kilometres).

Using this method the researchers have been able to discern the velocities of the seismic waves at depth which has allowed the identification of the different geological layers that make up the volcano.