Living and Preaching in the Shadow of a Volcano

“IT IS a frightening experience. It could very well be like the end of the world that the Bible speaks of. We must remain alert and be in good standing before Jehovah God every moment.” Those are the words of Víctor, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, in relating his experience of living very near the Popocatépetl volcano, popularly called Popo, in Mexico.

This rumbling volcano has been in the international news since 1994.a The authorities concluded that everything within a 20-mile [30 km] radius of the crater is in a high-risk zone. The south side of the volcano is especially dangerous because the crater is tilted in that direction and there are a number of deep ravines through which lava and mud could spill out from the crater.

Naturally, many wonder what would happen to Mexico City in case the volcano had a major eruption. Is that city at risk? Then there are also all those people in the state of Morelos to the south of the volcano. Are all in that area also in danger? And what is it like living in the shadow of the volcano, not knowing what might happen from day to day?

The Threat of the Volcano

Downtown Mexico City is about 45 miles [70 km] northwest of Popocatépetl, although some suburbs are as close as 25 miles [40 km]. Technically, the entire metropolitan area, with its population of 20 million, is outside the danger zone. However, depending on the direction of the wind, this area could be affected if a large quantity of ash is expelled by the volcano.

The effects of volcanic ash are usually more severe on the east side of the volcano. This area includes the city of Puebla and a number of smaller cities and towns, with about 200,000 living within the high-risk area. On Sunday, May 11, 1997, the volcano spewed tons of ash into the air and scattered it all over this area, reaching as far as the state of Veracruz, more than 200 miles [300 km] to the east. In the area south of the volcano, in the state of Morelos, there are several cities and towns with a total population of about 40,000 that could also be in serious danger.

How Can You Be Prepared?

Volcanologists conduct their studies and issue official reports about the menacing Popocatépetl, but no one really knows what will happen or when. According to the news media and the people living nearby, the volcano may erupt at any time. The threat is real. Of course, the authorities are very concerned and want to do everything they can to be ready in case of an emergency. But it is understandable that they must be cautious about issuing a warning, since they do not want to trigger a mass exodus if there is no imminent danger. What, then, should one do?

“Shrewd is the one that has seen the calamity and proceeds to conceal himself, but the inexperienced have passed along and must suffer the penalty,” says a Bible proverb. (Proverbs 22:3) The wise course, therefore, is to take the necessary steps to ensure one’s safety while the door of opportunity is still open, not to ‘pass along’ as if nothing will ever happen, playing waiting games with such awesome natural forces. This is the way Jehovah’s Witnesses in the area view the matter.

Recently, representatives from the Watch Tower Society’s branch office met with traveling overseers in the state of Puebla, who are in close contact with the congregations in the danger zone. Plans were made for the traveling overseers and members of a relief committee to visit each one of the families living within 15 miles [25 km] of the crater. These families were helped to consider moving out of the danger zone before panic strikes. Transportation and accommodations were arranged in order to relocate 1,500 people to the city of Puebla. Some families moved to live with relatives in other cities.