But in 1994, Popo emerged from its slumber with a series of tremors that put the local citizenry on notice. Wherever we are, we can monitor the volcano. Quaas is willing to be on call day and night because he designed the monitoring system and knows its value. It s an ethical prospect, he said. About one million people can suffer from an eruption.
Someone has to be always on charge.
Most of those living in the shadow of the mountain are farmers, lured there by the rich volcanic soil. The land is very rich and no one will leave this land behind, noted Quaas. He knows the residents. They helped him build the monitoring stations and have a telephone number to call for immediate information of Popo s activity. When the dome grows, it fills the bottom of the crater, sealing off many of the vents through which the volcano releases pent-up pressure in the form of gas, steam and sometimes ash.