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Student’s Name Professor’s Name Course Title Date of Submission Reading Response Since time in memorial, human beings have been on a never-ending war with the natural catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Often than not, the geological processes in the core of the earth happen without warning and may be to the detriment of civilians who suffer from the loss of life and property. Following this, measures have been put in place to counter these adverse outcomes through the incorporation of technology and emergency response techniques. The historical volcanic activity of Iceland is a good example of such as scenario and John McPhee’s article, Cooling the Lava gives a detailed account of the event and the strategies that were employed to combat the molten lava. It started in January 1973 when Heimaey, the most inhabited Island in Iceland experienced minor tremors that were followed by the formation of a fissure on the surface releasing a stream of molten lava. Although the majority of the people had already been evacuated, the main concern was the harbor that was a major asset to the fish exporting industry that sustained the town (McPhee 98). The region lies in a highly active area where the Eurasian plates interact with the North American ones. The lava-cooling operation began a fortnight after the onset of the eruption and seawater was pumped over the flowing debris to ensure that it solidified as quickly as possible. This continued for a month, and over eight million cubic meters of water had been used, and the efforts of the islanders received massive media coverage. In Hawaii, the same technique was incorporated in 1984 after the volcanoes
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