Listen on Spotify / Apple / Anchor / scroll down for our podcast player!
This week we’re taking a closer look at what happens when the government procrastinates on its homework.
Olivia tells the story of the “white city” of Armero, Colombia, where a 1985 volcanic eruption resulted in the deadliest mudslides in human history. She recounts the haunting story of 13-year-old Omayra Sanchez, and how the tragedy highlights the need for robust emergency management.
Then Elise looks into the ancient origins of water towers, some more recent horror stories, and why we should care about how the government regulates water safety.
Other topics include Sally Rooney, having an Oscar Wilde quote for everything, and buying sweaters in a heatwave.
Story #1: Armero Volcano Disaster (Olivia)
Sources:
What do volcanoes have to do with climate change?, NASA
Climate Change Likely To Increase Volcanic Eruptions, Scientists Say, NPR, December 22 2017
Nevado Del Ruiz, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History Global Volcanism Program
Volcanoes Can Affect Climate, USGS
Residents Buried in Mud : Armero: ‘White City’ Now ‘Land of the Dead’, LA Times, November 17 1985
Early tremors foretold danger in the mountain, The Sacramento Bee, November 15 1985
Avalanche of deaths takes old path, The Miami Herald, November 17 1985
The Girl Who Was Fed and Interviewed While Dying, History of Yesterday, Sept 21 2021
The Death of Omayra Sanchez, Dark Tales
This story was inspired by the documentary Fire of Love, which tells the love story of Maurice and Katia Krafft.
The bolded article above is where you can see famous photos of Omayra Sanchez, which we’ve chosen not to post directly on our site.
Story #2: Water Towers (Elise)
Sources:
Chicago Water Tower, Britannica
The Shape of Water Towers: An Engineering History, TPO Magazine, July 23 2018
Historic Water Towers, Pittsburgh Tank and Tower Group
Why Do We Have Water Towers?, Henderson Water Utility
Dead snakes and mice, toxic sludge: How pathogens go unnoticed in America’s water towers, USA Today, June 1 2021
Water Management, The University of Wisconsin-Madison site for Ancient Engineering Technologies
Water Towers, Wikipedia
List of historic water towers by state.
Similar episodes mentioned during this episode:
Episode 19 – Earth – the Ogoni Nine and Frankenstein’s Volcano – about the year with no summer that resulted in the writing of Frankenstein
Episode 13 – Water – Rob Bilott and Erin Brockovich – the first episode in our Elements series
Episode 52 – An Inconvenient Truth about Grizzly Bears
How to Survive Extreme Heat
The Dump
- Mosha Lunstrom Halbert on TikTok reviews water. And talks about all the water and the flavors of the water in Karlovy Vary in Czech Republic. Highly recommend.
- Conversations with Friends, Normal People, and Sally Rooney
- Black Gold documentary and Loot on Apple TV
Check out Elise’s vintage shop page Heiss Vintage if you live in Austin and want to know when she’s doing pop-ups!
The World Is Burning bookshop is live! Help us come up with book list titles and bulk up our reading list.
Our World is Burning themed playlist is on Spotify.
You can keep up with us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok.
If you enjoyed this episode, consider reviewing us on Apple Podcasts and downloading/subscribing/following wherever you like to do those things. It helps us immensely.
Thanks for listening!
World Is Burning 