The Prince and Princess of Asturias are to visit the village of La Restinga in El Hierro today to see the situation on the tiny island first hand, three months after the start of the undersea eruption in the Mar de Las Calmas.
Also on the trip, which coincides with the 44th birthday of the heir to the Spanish throne Don Felipe, is Elvira Fernandez, wife of Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy.
The visitors are expected to arrive by helicopter to La Restinga dock at 12:00.
They will visit the Ayuntamiento and will also have the opportunity to see the Gorona Wind Farm project where they will be offered a selection of typical products of the island.
Local dignitaries who will join Don Felipe and Princess Letizia on the tour include the President of the Autonomous Community, Paulino Rivero, the government delegate in the Canary Islands, María del Carmen Hernández, the president of the Cabildo of El Hierro, Alpidio Armas, and the Minister for Tourism, José Manuel Soria, among others.
More than 70 journalists have been accredited to report on this trip but it seems that the expectation among the local population is not consistent with the interest from the media.
The fact that the visit takes place on a weekday reduces the chance that a large number of citizens can go to greet the prince. This is compounded by the feeling of despondency brought on by the events of recent months. In addition, aid pledges made by the various authorities who visited the island during the height of the volcanic eruption have not materialized so far.
The carbon dioxide emissions from the submarine volcano have shown a slight upward trend since mid-January, according to the volcanological Institute of the Canaries yesterday.
This trend is a change, since in November 2011 a decline was registered. The institute explains that the recorded values do not refer to what is emitted from the underwater eruption near the village of La Restinga, but the amount of carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere over the entire 278 square miles of the island
Large lava fragments are still surfacing off the coast of the village of La Restinga, even as recently as a few hours ago. Some of these pyroclasts are more than three meters long and explode violently before sinking.
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