Harris Whitbeck: Thousands seek shelter as volcano rumbles

Whitbeck

Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck is reporting from Cholula, Mexico, about 12 miles (20 km) from the volcano.

Q: What's the scene like from where you are?

WHITBECK: I can see a huge plume of white smoke and ash. Steam continues to emanate from the crater, which according to experts is a good sign because it means that the volcano is literally letting off steam and alleviating some of the pressure from within.

However, authorities here are not letting down their guard. The shelters around town are filled with people. There are about 30,000 residents of communities that are in areas considered to be a high threat. Those people are in shelters and are to stay there until the authorities say it is safe for them to return.

Q: What is it like when the volcano begins to rumble? Can you hear it and feel it shake the ground?

VIDEO Daytime video of the volcano spewing smoke Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Harris Whitbeck reports on the strongest Mexican eruption in 100 years Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     ALSO Popocatepetl: past to present     MESSAGE BOARD Popocatepetl eruption

WHITBECK: Early Tuesday, I was about 12 kilometers from the volcano when one of the most violent explosions occurred. I must say I was quite surprised that I didn't feel or hear anything. All I could see was this huge fireworks display that lit up the sky. There were molten rocks being thrown up into the air and you could see trickles of lava coming down this massive volcano.

It was quite a sight, but I can't say I felt or heard anything.

Q: How have evacuation efforts gone to this point?

WHITBECK: The evacuation efforts first started last Friday when the authorities detected movement in the volcano. Over the weekend, not many people were convinced. I visited one shelter on Saturday and there were only about maybe 500-600 people there. Then, I went to one of the nearby towns that is considered to be at great risk and there were people celebrating a wedding.

People really didn't start moving and evacuating until they saw that spectacular show of force early Tuesday.

Q: When was the last big eruption of this volcano?

WHITBECK: The last major eruption was in 1926. There are still people here who remember that eruption. They say they remember a shower of gravel, sand and stone that lasted for days. After that, the volcano was pretty much dormant until 1994 when it kind of sputtered to life. There were a few minor eruptions, but nothing like we've seen this week.

Officials here say what we saw (early Tuesday) is the most important eruption over the last 70 years.

Q: Do experts expect more eruptions anytime soon?

WHITBECK: That is really hard to say. I know that Tuesday morning they were flying over the crater, trying to determine what was happening. Again, they say that as long as they see that column of smoke spewing out, it's a good sign.

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USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory - Popocatepetl Volcano, Mexico
Southwest Volcano Research Centre
Volcano Database: 1,500 Volcano Links
Popo the Great: A volcano of Mexico
National Center for the disaster prevention with WebCam of Volcano (In Spanish)
Volcano Adventures

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