houses, and people.

The explosion can cause earthquakes and

LIVING WITH VOLCANOES landslides. Volcanoes can also release poisonous gases. Some
LIZ WAID AND ADAM NAVIS LOOK AT THE POWER OF VOLCANOES. WHY DO PEOPLE volcanoes are parts of islands. When these volcanoes explode they
CHOOSE TO LIVE NEAR THESE DANGEROUS PLACES? can create large ocean waves.

Voice 1 Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Volcanoes can kill large numbers of people. In 1792 a Japanese
volcano killed 15,000 people. In 1985, a volcano in Colombia buried
Voice 2 a town in dirt. The government did little to help and 23,000 people
died. And in 1991, a volcano in the Philippines could have been one
And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of
of the worst events in history. But the Philippine government acted
broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where
quickly. They moved over 80,000 people away from the volcano. In the
in the world they live.
end, only 700 people died.

Voice 1
Voice 2
On March 20, 2010, a natural disaster began on the island of Iceland.
So clearly, volcanoes are dangerous. Then why would people want to
A volcano shot clouds of ash into the air. Smoke poured out of the
live around them? There are several different reasons. The first is
volcano for three days. Then, on March 23, the volcano exploded. The
that a volcano can create very good soil. The lava, minerals, and
volcano shot out melted rock, called lava.
hot ash are good for farming. They help the soil stay wet. They
contain minerals that help plants grow. For example, the Indonesian
Voice 2 island of Java has three live volcanoes. This permits people to
harvest several rice crops every season.
There was so much smoke and ash coming out of the volcano that no
airplanes could fly around Iceland. On April 14, the volcano exploded
again. More ash, smoke, and lava poured out. Wind carried the smoke Voice 1
toward England, France, and Spain. Soon most airplane trips to and
Another reason people live near volcanoes is geo-thermal energy.
from Europe were cancelled. Some people had to live in airports. And
People use the heat from the volcano to create electricity. This is
it would be almost a week before their trips would start again. This
very common. Over twenty countries around the world use some geo-
is one recent example of the way that volcanoes have power and
thermal energy. The country of Iceland gets around seventeen percent
influence over human life.
of their electricity this way. Iceland also uses the heat from
volcanoes to warm greenhouses. These are buildings where people grow
Voice 1 fruits, vegetables, and flowers. People use greenhouses to grow food
in cold weather.
Today's Spotlight is on volcanoes. Especially on why some people
live so close to volcanoes. There are volcanoes all over the world.
Volcanoes can destroy homes, farmland, and forests. But there are Voice 2
also around 360 million people who live near volcanoes. This raises
Volcanoes can also be beautiful. The islands of Hawaii are a series
one question: Why would they do this?
of volcanoes. Over seven million people visit Hawaii every year.
These people spend money on hotels, boat rides, and food. People
Voice 2 even pay to walk and see the volcanoes. It can be exciting to be
close to something so powerful. Many people who live near volcanoes
A volcano is a hole in the earth's surface. It can explode and send
make money from these visitors.
ash and hot lava into the air. The lava can burn trees, crops,
Voice 1
Another reason people live around dangerous volcanoes is because
they feel safe. Most volcanoes do not explode that often. People can
live their whole life by a volcano and never see it explode. So when
scientists warn that a volcano is going to explode, they may dismiss
the warning.
Voice 2
But some people live around volcanoes because they have no other
choice. They may want to live somewhere else. But they do not have
the money to move. They may not have the education needed to get
another job. Farming is their only occupation. Some people live near
a volcano because it is the only life they know.
Voice 1
Living around a volcano has risks. There are ways to reduce the
risk. The first thing is to listen to scientists. There are many new
devices that can tell when a volcano will explode. Sometimes these
warnings come days before an explosion. Sometimes it is only hours.
Voice 2
The next thing that can be done is to prepare yourself. People who
live near volcanoes need to know what to do if a warning is made.
They need to know where they will go to be safe. The American Red
Cross suggests closing doors and windows. Stay inside your house.
If you are caught outside, try to stay covered. Cover your mouth and
eyes. This will protect you from falling ash. Try to reach high
ground. This is the safest place during landslides or flooding.
care ready to go. They need to have trucks prepared to move dirt.
There should be food and water stored in a safe place.
Voice 1
Volcanoes are very dangerous. In a single day they can kill thousands
of people. They can destroy crops. They can burn houses and cause
landslides. They can release poison gas and make people very sick.
Voice 2
But volcanoes can be helpful too. They create good soil for growing
food. They can push fresh water out of the ground. They can create
electricity. And people come to see them on holiday. And that is
what makes volcanoes so amazing: that they can cause both terrible
destruction and a lot of good things at the same time.
Voice 1
The writer and producer of this program was Adam Navis. The voices
you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for
this program. Computer users can hear our programs, read our scripts,
and see our word list on our website .This program is called
"Living with Volcanoes."
Voice 2
If you have a comment or question for Spotlight you can email us.
Our email address is . We hope you can join us again for the
next Spotlight program. Thank you for listening. Goodbye!

Voice 1
But part of this education is the job of the government. This is
because in some areas, thousands of people will need to move away
from the volcano. Without a government to help with this move, it
can be very difficult to do.

Voice 2
Governments need to set up a plan of what to do once a volcano has
exploded. There need to be health workers, vehicles, and medical