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Rain Could Make Matters Worse Still

Members of a search and rescue team (orange) conduct a search operation for missing people at the Sumberwuluh village.
Members of a search and rescue team (orange) conduct a search operation for missing people at the Sumberwuluh village. Photo: Adek Berry/AFP (Getty Images)

Heavy rainfall could make hard search and rescue and recovery efforts that much more challenging. Volcanic ash is incredibly absorbent and can turn into a thick sludge once it gets wet. Rain can essentially double the weight of ash, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Not only can that hamper search and rescue, it could also cause more structures to collapse under the leaden weight. Guatemala’s Volcan de Fuego’s erupted during the 2018 rainy season and caused similar problems with cleanup and recovery.