It's a little hotter here...

"Ok, take care." That was the message that I received from our security officer after I let her know I was ok.

As many of you know by now, the volcano did have a little explosion yesterday. I have been evacuated to the capital indefinitely for the moment. There were lava rocks ranging in size from pebbles to the size of cars that were thrown from the volcano into a 10 mile radius, some of them hitting around my canton. I, during all of this, was on a bus on my way to Santa Ana, the 2nd largest city in the country. Our bus stopped along the road by an overlook area, and one of the bus employees got off and just stood outside. We were all like, "Geez. What's going on with this guy??" So we looked out the windows and saw this HUGE cloud that was pouring out of the volcano. So we all ran to that side of the bus and watched in disbelief for about a minute, and then climbed out to watch and witnessed this cloud getting bigger and bigger above our heads. I was like, "Oh CRAP!!"

I didn't have my camera, but did have my cell phone, so I got a quick phone photo of all of this. So we all boarded the bus again, and the driver drove like a madman to get us out of there.

FYI, the Peace Corps did call me right away (I mean minutes after it started erupting), but we were having problems with the connection. So when we arrived to the Congo, an area outside of Santa Ana, I called the Peace Corps and they told me that I needed to go to the capital immediately.

So now I'm here in the capital, with the clothes on my back and the notebooks I needed for my meeting yesterday. But I'm safe, and very happy for that.

There is one other volunteer that has been evacuated. He actually had to run from his house carrying 2 kids to safety because rocks were falling all around him. I'm so glad I wasn't in my site when it started going off!!

Anyway, I'm including some stories and photos that I found in case you don't know about this.

http://www.laprensagrafica.com/especiales/2005/erupcion/

I'll write more soon. We're going to get some dinner now. :)

Miss you all!!
M
------------------------------
CNN News

lamatepec volcano erupts
Ash shoots 50,000 feet high

Saturday, October 1, 2005 Posted: 2325 GMT (0725 HKT)

Rescue volunteers search for victims near Ilamatepec volcano on Saturday.

PALO CAMPANA, El Salvador (AP) -- A volcano in western El Salvador erupted on Saturday, sending a column of ash 50,000 feet into the air and killing two farmers buried by chunks of earth and boiling water that tumbled down the slopes.

Authorities ordered the evacuation of three communities in the shadow of the Ilamatepec volcano, which towers near Santa Ana, the country's second largest city, 40 miles from San Salvador, the capital.

"The volcano has entered an eruptive phase that consists of ashes and gases," Interior Secretary Rene Figueroa said.

It was unclear how many people had been ordered to leave their homes. Figueroa said as many as 10,000 residents live close to the volcano, but that most areas were not evacuated.

Emergency response officials said two farmers died and two other residents of the coffee-growing town of Palo Campana were missing.

The ground was smoldering when soldiers arrived to assist in the evacuations. Falling ash had destroyed coffee crops and damaged trees in surrounding forests.

Small bodies of water were steaming and bubbling from the heat and ash covered the ground as far as the eye could see. Problems with landslides worsened as afternoon rains pelted the area.

"We have had an eruption of moderate magnitude," President Tony Saca said during a visit to the country's national emergency response headquarters. But he added that "there was no lava."

"Everyone is helping, first to save lives and get people out, because we don't know what is going to happen," he said.

Figueroa said air force flights over Ilamatepec "confirmed that it emitted a column of ash that reached 50,000 feet high."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.