Customer Reviews

No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz

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In 1993 a horrible disaster struck the geology community. On January 14 of that year, 13 volcanologists were on a workshop fieldtrip inside the caldera of Galeras, a volcano in southern Columbia, when it erupted killing 6 of the scientists and 3 local tourists. This tragic event shocked and stunned the geological community.

No Apparent Danger: The True Story of Volcanic Disaster at Galeras and Nevado Del Ruiz written by Victory Bruce has taken a critical look these two volcanic tragedies that struck Columbia.

Victoria writes in a wonderfully easy to read narrative, that grabs your attention from the beginning. She lays out the events of the two volcanic eruptions in the form of a crime scene, where you know the final outcome, but not the events and facts leading up to the crime. She leads the reader through the multitude of facts and eyewitness accounts of these two eruptions to give a clear understanding of what happened, and the mistakes that were made.

The book was inspired by the tragedy at Galeras, but to understand the tragedy there, she takes us back 8 years to the eruption at Nevado del Ruiz that caused a lahar to burry the town of Armero, killing 23,000 people. Here we meet Marta Calvache, a Columbian geologist who plays important roles in both events. Marta and her colleagues are a group of bright, young Columbian scientists who are given the responsibility to interpret the activity at Nevado del Ruiz, a task that they admit is over their heads. The Columbian scientists seek out the best international help they can get to help them interpret the volcano, and do their best to warn the government of the danger the volcano poses. In the end, their dire warnings are ignored, and the most tragic volcanic eruption of the twentieth century occurs.

After Nevado del Ruiz, we jump forward 8 years to follow Marta Calvache and other Columbian scientists to the newly active volcano at Galeras. This time, the Columbians have more knowledge and equipment at their disposal, but tragedy again occurs. Victoria Bruce leads us as a detective would, setting the background of the volcano, its history and the facts about its activity leading up to the mild, but fatal eruption in 1993. She intersperses her narrative with quotes from the scientists who worked on the volcano, as well as those scientists who were in the caldera on the day of the eruption and survived. Her narrative leads the reader through a series of events, piecing together the decisions that led to the tragedy, and how it could have been prevented.

The book holds you captive as you walk with the scientists into the heart of the danger. Victoria gives us access to the scientists to listen to their personal thoughts, misgivings and concerns about the tragedy and the safety of their companions. Her descriptions are so vivid, that at times I felt like ducking as I read about the explosion and the volcanic bombs that flew out of the crater. The book is not only a critical look at the two eruptions, but a detailed study of crisis management and the importance of knowing all the facts.

No Apparent Danger is a stunning example of careful and diligent attention to details of the horrible human suffering due to natural disasters in Colombia in the last decade and a half. It explains the events through the words both published and from interviews of dozens of people who were involved.

The book reads in a wonderful, descriptive way. From the earnest attempts of the scientists/engineers to understand the signals from Nevado Del Ruiz-to the flight from Arbolito during the eruption-to the devastation of Armero, the reader is left profoundly saddened. The idea that in 1985, lack and hindrance of scientific support from the government of Colombia was responsible for the death of many thousands of people is appalling.

Strong people of Colombia are introduced to the reader who were coffee growers, engineers, and scientists all working to understand these disasters and to form plans and procedures needed to prevent loss of life and property. These people become real in the book because of the description of their lives, personalities, work, and in some cases, their heroism.

The story of the explosion of Galeras is rich in detail because of the view of people who witnessed it from different places. The confusion in the city of Pasto, the anxiety and concern of the people hiking the flanks of the mountain, the agony of death and injury in the volcano, the search and rescue for surveyors. And the almost comical event where a scientist, TV cameraman, and reporter ended in a heap at the summit.

I am moved by this book, which has described all of this and much more. I am pleased to know of strong, intelligent, and caring people who acted in brave ways in Colombia. I am pleased to read about the women who are dedicated scientists in Colombia and I salute the two women who by example (by running in to the volcano) started the rescue of the injured. It's remarkable.

On January 14, 1993 the Colombian volcano Galeras had a minor eruption in the early afternoon so small that many residents of Pasto, only five miles from the explosion, were unaware it happened. But because some of the world's most experienced volcanologists were too near the crater at the time and were killed or injured as a result, this eruption and it's aftermath received worldwide press attention, and are now the subject of two competing books. One, "Surviving Galeras", is by Stanley Williams and Fen Montaigne. Williams is a co-convener of the volcanological conference then being held in Pasto. The other, "No Apparent Danger" by Victoria Bruce, is the subject of this review.

The first part of "No Apparent Danger" describes the eruption of another Colombian volcano, Nevado del Ruiz in 1985, resulting in the near total destruction of the town of Armero and the loss of twenty-three thousand lives. The second and more extensive part deals with Galeras. On the positive side, the book is easy to read, the numerous characters are clearly drawn, and the reader has no trouble distinguishing the good guys from the bad. The author has interviewed many people, quoted others secondhand, and spins a gripping tale of heroism and hubris, clashing egos and inexcusable foul-ups. But the protagonists are so easily pigeonholed and the biases of the author so apparent, that even a reader with no previous knowledge of these events soon asks, "Is this portrayal of events accurate? In places yes, but as one who attended the Pasto meeting and has a personal regard for many of those portrayed here, I believe this book misrepresents the events at Galeras in several significant ways. For example:

1. The blackest hat is clearly worn by Stanley Williams, who is accused of everything from having a monotonous lecture style to complicity in the deaths of nine people. No attempt is made to present a balanced assessment of what he did and why. Also, many of his purported transgressions would have taken place after he was injured and clearly not himself. Where Williams is concerned, this book is little more than a hatchet job.

2. As some reviewers have already noted, there are several misrepresentations, quotes out of context and similar errors in the text (see among others, Monastersky, R., Under the Volcano, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 3/30/01). Some of these lapses are more important than others, but most or all tend to demonize Williams.

3. A few participants who should have been interviewed were not, including a geophysicist whose views differed from those given prominence in this book.

4. Very little information is given on why the meeting was held, its importance, and what was accomplished. The purpose was humanitarian; first to assess the threat posed by Galeras to the 300,000 inhabitants of Pasto, and then to identify the best ways to deal with that threat. A final report was prepared at the end of the conference, despite the grief and shock of those involved. The participants and the organizers were sincere scientists with a great deal of combined experience on volcanoes, not a bunch of volcano junkies as one might assume from reading this. Those among them who went in harm's way did so in the belief it was a necessary step that could ultimately save thousands of lives. . So although "No Apparent Danger" is interesting, the author seems to believes that for every mishap, someone is to blame. In attempting to convince us of this, she has produced a work that I found highly biased, often misleading, and sometimes wrong. I would urge potential readers to withhold any judgment of individuals who are described until they have had a chance to study "Surviving Galeras", a much more professional and balanced account.

I'm writing to supplement my husband's review (chris sanders). He was Stan Williams' colleague and friend, was on the side of Galeras when it blew, and was Arizona State University's spokesman for Stan and the eruption -- and Chris backs Victoria Bruce's account unreservedly as the accurate version of the event.

My addition is the perspective of a person near, but not central, to the story. I think Victoria Bruce has shown extremely clear insight into what's important about the story, and about the character of the players.

From my perspective, Victoria has done science a tremendous service in shining a spotlight on Stan Williams' behavior. She's brought to light a personality type that, unfortunately, has all too safe a harbor in the scientific community. For reasons that are far too complex to discuss here, huge egos and forceful personalities have too easy a time dominating the scientific community. No Apparent Danger shows just one of the consequences of the actions of just one ego-driven scientist. I personally would be very glad if this book helps clear the paths for the many brilliant, innovative, hard-working, honest scientists who choose to spend their time expanding knowledge rather than promoting themselves and stealing others' ideas.

Like Chris, I was also very grateful to read Victoria's descriptions of the Colombian scientists. Fernando Munoz is one of our dearest friends. I had always known and admired his passion for saving lives in Colombia; Victoria's book provided details of his story that help me understand that passion better. Victoria has recognized rightly that he, Marta Calvache, and the other Colombian scientists truly are larger than life. I've always seen it -- now I know better how they came to be that way.

From the moment I bought this book I could not put it down. Ms. Bruce's riveting accounts of the eruption of Galeras and Nevado del Ruiz kept me glued to my recliner! While the controversy surrounding the book sparked my interested, it was Ms. Bruce's writing style that kept me reading. If Ms. Bruce's puts this much heart and soul into her work, I hope she has some left for her next book.

I highly recommend this book. Victoria Bruce's account of the events leading up to the Galeras eruption and the tragic aftermath had me sitting on the edge of my seat. My heart went out to all the families who lost loved ones especially knowing that "apparently" this tragedy could have been prevented.

Bruce's book is well-written and describes the geological processes involved in a clear and simple fashion.

At first I wasn't really sure why she had chosen to write about both the Nevado Del Ruiz and Galeras eruptions, but it became clear that she was following the professional development of the Columbian volcanologists and the Columbian governmental response to volcanic disasters. The information provided about the politics and civil unrest concurrent with the volcanic eruptions and the effects on ability of the scientists to recieve funding, equipment and international help is VERY interesting.

It's obvious that the most contraversial part of this account is the role played by Stan Williams as the field trip leader on the fateful excursion into the Galeras caldera. While volcanologists are aware of the potential risks associated with visiting a volcano, I would have wanted to be aware of the occurrence of the tell-tale tornillos. It didn't seem like there was a complete overview of the current state of Galeras prior to the field trips such that each participant could determine their own level of risk-taking. It was also not clear to me that Zapata in fact relayed the information about the tornillo during the morning of the trip to Williams. Did Williams know about the recent tornillo? After all, Zapata was the only one with a radio. As with any tragedy, the events raise more questions than answers.

It seems to me that the tragedy was the result of many different small events that primarily become clear in hinesight. While safety measures used in previous trips likely should have been used during the fated excursion, _none_ of the scientists that went on the trip were completely unaware of the danger involved. Williams is not to _blame_ for the tragedy, but he is certainly _responsible_ for the people on HIS field trip, simply because he was the leader. It can be argued that he should have taken better precautions and that is where Williams's regrets should lie. It's obvious that some of the participants knew Williams's level of concern was not as high as their own and they intelligently chose to wear their own safety gear. (Did the other participants have access to safety gear if they had wanted it?)

Regardless of the controversy surrounding the field trip, Bruce also does a good job of describing (and perhaps becoming somewhat involved in) the politics of science in general. When I started graduate school, I was completely naive about the politics of money, research and publishing - grant writing, intellectual property, etc. Bruce provides a brief but revealing look at how politics also drive science.

Science isn't a clear cut, straightforward pursuit. Bruce certainly portrays this fact quite clearly in her book. I certainly recommend reading this book along with Stan Williams's book as counterpoint.

There are two stories in this book. The first is about the eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano that resulted in the deaths of 23,000 people. The second is the death of six scientists and three Columbians in the Galeras eruption. The scientists killed were led by Stan Williams, who also substained very serious injuries. The three Columbians were local hikers in the area.
If the focus was on numbers, Bruce should have concentrated her studies on the Nevado del Ruiz eruption that killed so many Columbians because of the mud slides. This was not done, but the focus was on diminishing the egotistical Stan Williams who led six of his companions to death. Both stories are worth a book of their own.

Victoria Bruce's book is a must read for all people interested in exciting stories of TRUE science. It has often been said that truth is stranger than fiction, and Bruce's account of the tragedies at volcanoes Ruiz and Galeras in Colombia adds creedance to that aphorism. In 'No Apparent Danger' you find the age-old story of the battle of the forces of truth, integrity and heroism against the forces of self-interest. This book itself is part of that battle, and Ms. Bruce must be commended for her courage in bringing the truth of this story to light. As you can already see from a few of the other reviews her book will be attacked by those who do not like to be exposed so nakedly.

I was a participant in the conference in Pasto when the tragic eruption at Galeras occurred and can say that Ms. Bruce's account of the events are exactly as I remember them. She has done her research very well, and has presented the events accurately. We should all be grateful that her balanced account has become part of the historical record. I am also pleased with her representation of the young Colombian geologists and seismologists who are the true heroes in this story.

If you honor truth and integrity, and like an exciting true story of modern science, then Victoria Bruce's book is the one to purchase.

I was impressed by the overall tenor of the book, but found it murky in terms of continuity at times. The last few chapers clear up much of the confusion. The book is to be lauded for its capable detective work and straightforward nature of revealing what is not only a human tragedy, but a scientific scandal.
Dr. Williams has been a master of self-aggrandizement ever since the Galeras incident. He seems oblivious to the role of his own neglect in causing the tragedy. I have observed this on several television interviews involving him.
This carefully-researched book brings this unfortunate series of attributes forth without malice or rancor being shown: a prodigious task in light of the plain facts.
As with other human endeavors, science is prone to human frailties such as pride, unduly tenacious stubbornness, and simple inattention. This book is valuable in presenting a prototypical instance of that deficiency. One can only hope that, with the passage of time, the unfortunate Professor Williams will reflect more on what was truly an avoidable mishap, and strive less to attempt to vindicate the unvindicatable