Word: ashes
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...however, the shocks eased-and at that there was even some disappointment, reflected by the housewife who complained: "All that scare and trouble, and no lava." The truth is that many Sao Jorgeans were hoping to share the fate of the victims of a 1957 volcanic eruption which poured ash over the neighboring island of Faial. The U.S. Congress passed Public Law 85-892 providing 1,500 special nonquota immigrant visas for destitute Faialeans, and they sailed off happily to live...
...ended, the religious fasting in large parts of Indonesia had become full-scale famine. Parched by drought, the rice crop in Java had failed; in Bali, last year's eruption of the Gunung Agung volcano had buried two of the island's largest rice areas under volcanic ash. In central Java, an invasion of rats, many 18 inches long from head to tail, had decimated rice stores and created a serious threat of bubonic plague; in east Java, local extermination campaigns have already accounted for the death of 7,000,000 rats...
Auto carburetors clog, typewriters stick and doors jam; airplanes no longer land at the local airport. Slowly the city's drainage system is plugging up-and so much ash has settled in the Reventado River that a recent rainstorm sent waters spilling over the banks, destroying some 500 homes in the city of Cartago...
...months now, San José has known few clear days as eruption after eruption dropped an estimated 50,000 tons of ash on the city. Grit covers floors, seeps through windows and gets into food at mealtime. When they go outside, San José's 230,000 citizens wear goggles, gas masks, pull handkerchiefs over their faces like Hollywood bandits, even cover their heads with paper bags...
...rushed in an initial 4,000 tons of cattle feed, plus 500 respirators for street cleaners. Costa Rican businessmen raised an emergency fund and bought three U.S. road-sweeping machines. But last week Irazú continued its eruptions, and San José could not sweep away the ash fast enough...