Mexico prepares for evacuations as Popocatepetl volcano spews ash
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00:00 It's the sound nobody wants to hear, but if they do, they'll all have to flee.
00:06 For now though, towns like Santiago Chalicintla are holding drills in the events that Popocatipitle
00:12 becomes increasingly active.
00:15 As over the past days it's been throwing gas, ash and rock into the air.
00:20 Many are choosing to wear face masks again to protect themselves from the ashes and dozens
00:25 of schools have been closed as shelters are opened.
00:28 "It was very active last night.
00:32 It was rumbling, it was spewing a lot of ash and it was almost on fire."
00:42 And while it may seem like a lot of preparation for a volcano that hasn't erupted in over
00:47 a thousand years, with 25 million people living within a 100 kilometre radius, including in
00:53 the capital Mexico City, Popocatipitle is deemed a real threat.
00:59 Known locally as El Popo, it woke up again in 1994 and since then has become increasingly
01:05 active.
01:06 Its ashes are now coating the towns and the fields.
01:10 "This is normally the time when the grass and everything is growing, but we're not able
01:16 to go and work in the fields because of the ash."
01:20 The government has set the alert level at three, one below the evacuation warning.
01:24 (birds chirping)