Do you remember Rossellini’s 1950 classic “Stromboli”? When the volcano erupts on the Sicilian island of Stromboli, the characters, who all live in the shadow of Mt. Stromboli, are forced to flee in terror.

Why do people live in the shadow of active volcanoes? If you dig deeply enough in to volcanologist chatrooms, you’ll discover the deceivingly simple answer: it’s the dirt.

“Why do people live on dangerous volcanoes?” asks Richard Fisher at the department of geological sciences at U.C. Santa Barbara “The main reason is the rich volcanic soil. People are willing to take high-risk gambles for the most basic things of life — especially food.”

One example of the effect of volcanoes on agricultural lands is in Italy. Except for the volcanic region around Naples, farming in southern Italy is exceedingly difficult because limestone forms the basement rock and the soil is generally quite poor. But the region around Naples, which includes Mount Vesuvius, is very rich mainly because of two large eruptions 35,000 and 12000 years ago that left the region blanketed with very thick deposits of tephra which has since weathered to rich soils. Part of this area includes Mount Vesuvius.

When I visited the Phlegraean Fields near Mt. Vesuvius earlier this year, there had just been a series of earthquakes there. It’s also an area where bradyseism (the “slow rise and fall of the earth’s crust” [OED]) is a daily hazard.

But the people remain.

As Tracie, the girls, and I brace for Francine together with our Southeast Texas community, I’ve been thinking about my friends in the Phlegraean Fields.

I’ve been thinking about my friends, colleagues, and family who remain in California’s fire and earthquake corridors.

Why do people continue to live in dangerous places? It’s because those places are where they feel a sense of community and belonging. The richness — like the richness of volcanic Phlegraean soil — outweighs the risk.

As of this morning, it seems that Francine will mostly bypass Houston and Orange, Texas where my in-laws and extended Texas family live. Thanks to all the folks who have called to wish us well. Now it’s time to hunker down and pray for the best and then help those in need.

Stay safe.