Concern about Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano changes with the wind
As Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano continued puffing gas, water vapor and ash into the air, authorities recommended those downwind of its exhalations wear masks and cover their eyes AMECAMECA, Mexico -- Concern about the Popocatepetl volcano changes with the wind. While east of the mountain residents swept streets and didn’t remove their masks on Tuesday, here to the west, they casually watched the gas and ash plume emerging from its crater. The 17,797-foot (5,425-meter) mountain just 45 miles (about 70 kilometers) southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo,” has been belching for days, dusting towns and crops in Puebla in a super-fine ash. “When nothing is happening we worry,” said a cheerful Viridiana Alba, who has been selling flowers in Amecameca’s central plaza for 25 years. “El Popo,” as the volcano is affectionately known, rises directly across from her stand. “We know that right now it’s releasing smoke, that’s freeing the energy that it holds,” she said. Ash ...