Destruction 

On November 13th, 1985, the ground rumbled, and the bowels of the earth screamed as the Nevado del Ruiz stratovolcano erupted near the town of Armero, Colombia.  Glaciers melted at the top of the volcano and rushed down in the form of deadly lahars.  The pyroclastic flow and the unstoppable mudflows obliterated anything in their way. Trees, houses, animals, and people saw the brown and grey wall accelerate toward them before they were buried underneath. More than 24,000 dead, 3,300 missing, and 10,000 injured in one of the greatest volcanic disasters of our lifetime.  The Kraffts didn't hesitate and were among the first to arrive at the scene, but they did not expect the horrors that would forever change their work and life. 

The disaster is considered to be one of Colombia's greatest government failures.  Geologists and volcanologists have been warning of an imminent eruption, but their cries were ignored. According to reports, there was enough time for an organized evacuation that could have saved thousands, but it was impossible without prior planning and preparations. Furious and aching, Katia and Maurice understood that the only way to prevent this from happening again was to draw attention and educate people however they could. They began taking more risks in their work to attract media attention and used television interviews, lectures, and books to raise awareness.