GUIDELINES FOR VOLCANO SAFETY

It is best for people that live near a volcano to make plans for an eruption. Learn the alert levels issued by your local emergency management office and know what they mean. Listen for emergency updates and instructions, making note of information about hazards you may encounter. Prepare for a possible evacuation. Make additional preparations to shelter in place.

A volcanic eruption can alter the landscape in ways that are difficult to imagine. Near the site, there can be loss of life, and destruction of structures and property. The resulting ash cloud can cause airports to shut down and turn daylight to darkness. Earthquakes, flash floods, wildfires, thunderstorms and tsunamis can all occur as the result of a volcanic eruption.

Memorize the recommended evacuation routes. Maps marked with this route should be kept in each car and another in your home. Select maps with detailed geographical markings of the area surrounding your location. In the United States, hazard zone maps can be secured from the U.S. Geological Survey that will show probable lava flow paths and give time estimates on travel to certain locations along with their relative safety.

Prepare a getaway kit. Include safety goggles and dust masks or bandannas to protect your eyes and lungs from falling ash. Include long sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy footwear. Keep a well-stocked first aid kit, blankets and warm clothing in a convenient location. With this, keep a battery-powered radio and fresh batteries so that you can still monitor alerts if your power goes out.

Unless you need to evacuate, stay indoors. Bring pets inside and move livestock into shelters. Close all vents, doors and windows for protection from ash and burning cinders. Put damp towels under doorways. Cover downspouts, machinery, electronic devices and computers to protect them from ash that can disable and clog machinery and pipes.

Listen for creaking noises from your roof. Ash will fall silently and can cause the roof to collapse under its weight. Remember to wear a mask and goggles if you go outside to clear ash off of the roof and gutters. Remove your clothing before re-entering the house rather than bring ash inside where it can irritate the airways of everyone indoors.

Keep at least three days worth of water and food in your home. An eruption can contaminate water supplies and you may have to rely upon what you have stored. If you hear that an eruption is imminent, fill all sinks, tubs and containers with water. Rely upon your stored water until your regular source is deemed safe.

If you must drive, use your headlights, proceed slowly at about 35 mph and watch your gauges for signs of an overheating engine. Ash can clog your radiator and other moving parts of an engine. Ash will also make roads slippery. When parked, cover your vehicle with a tarp and place it under a shelter to protect it from the falling ash.

If you must evacuate, turn electricity and gas off at the mains before you leave. Head for higher ground and try to stay upwind so that ash and gases are blown away from you. Volcanoes’ greatest dangers (lava flows, mudflows, poison gases and flooding) all move towards low-lying areas. An elevated area gives you greater protection than any attempt to outdistance the danger.

Afterwards, don’t return home until authorities say it’s safe to re-enter the area. Seek medical treatment for any injuries. The wait for medical treatment will be shorter for those farther away from the disaster site. When cleaning up property after an eruption, dampen the ash before sweeping or shoveling the buildup. This keeps the slippery substance from getting tossed back into the air.

Remember, in the event of an eruption, you may have only moments to react. Being prepared to move quickly and decisively can mean the difference between life and death.

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This 4 minute video shows the extent of the destruction
caused by the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

This 17 second video shows Mount St. Helens
erupting in slow motion.

The entire side of the mountain slides to one side.

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DANGERS DURING A VOLCANO

A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a reservoir of molten rock. When pressure from gases and melted rock becomes strong enough, the mountain erupts in an explosion that spews gases and rocks through the opening. Volcanic blasts can devastate miles of landscape within hours or minutes. Here are some of the things to watch for during a volcanic eruption.

An ASH CLOUD can turn day to night and prevent you from being able to recognize landmarks, coating everything it touches with a dark powder. It is made up of bits of glass and exploded rocks made under extreme temperatures. This corrosive substance does not dissolve and can damage mucus membranes, irritating skin and eyes. Infants and those with breathing problems are most at risk of injury from this. Cover your eyes, nose and mouth.

FALLING ROCKS (pyroclastics) can land miles away from the volcano. Place a ridge line between yourself and the volcano or hold something (backpack, box, trash can lid, your arms etc.) over your head for protection.

FIRES occur wherever burning debris lands onto tinder, spreading quickly.

FLOODING & MUDSLIDES kill more people than the initial blast. Even miles away, these are a danger as normal waterways are clogged or changed by the lava flow, ash and debris.

HEAT is also released with temperatures high enough to burn human flesh. Move away from the blast area to avoid this.

LAVA FLOWS are super-heated molten liquid. Nothing can stop them. Don’t attempt to cross them even if they appear cooled. This could be a thin crust that will give away under your weight. Never try to cross hot spots, mud holes or geysers as the ground surrounding them can be too thin to keep you out of the molten lava below.

POISON GAS and volcanic smog (vog) is the result of sulfur dioxide and other pollutants reacting with oxygen, moisture and sunlight. It can cause lung damage, breathing difficulties, headaches and death. Use a respirator, mask or moist cloth and get away from the area as quickly as possible. DON’T KNEEL OR CRAWL!!! The most dangerous gases often accumulate near the ground.

STRONG WINDS follow an eruption and can be felt miles away from the blast, knocking over trees and structures.

If you live in the vicinity of a volcano, NOW is the time to develop a plan to deal with events in case of an eruption.

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Many Indonesians died in the aftermath
of Mount Merapi's eruptions
during October & November 2010.

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THE VISION by Debi Pearl -- A Fictional Tale with Realistic Elements

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Debi Pearl has written a new book, The Vision (ISBN: 978-0-9819737-0-8). The main characters of The Vision find themselves embroiled in controversy over their mission while their community faces unrest, politics swirl and the environment becomes increasingly hostile.

Throughout the book, Yellowstone threatens to erupt. Readers may suppose that the writer has used her creative license overmuch. However, Yellowstone is classified as a super-volcano, and geologists predict that this super-volcano could erupt.

A massive caldera is the site of Yellowstone National Park. Calderas are bowl shaped geographical areas that cap stores of molten rock. Yellowstone's caldera is shaken by quakes centered three miles beneath its surface.

Both Yellowstone's size and dormancy gain it notice as a super volcano.

"A super-eruption is the world's biggest bang. It's a volcanic explosion big enough to dwarf all others and with a reach great enough to affect everyone on the planet," is the description given by Bill McGuire of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Center with a professorship at London's University.




The force of such an eruption would require a thousand atomic explosions each second to equal it. The world's largest city, Tokyo, could fit inside Yellowstone's caldera because it's so massive.

Geologists estimate that every six to seven hundred thousand years there is a volcanic eruption at this location. They go on to estimate that it was 640,000 years ago when the last major eruption occurred. Give or take a few thousand years, this means that Yellowstone may be overdue to erupt.

In the event of a volcanic eruption at Yellowstone, predictions are that there would be a 90% loss of life (animal and human) within a 600 mile radius of the blast. Ash spewed into the air would become deadly when inhaled by survivors across the United States. Farm animals would also experience massive casualties, interrupting food supplies.

Travelers would be stranded as transportation stopped. Short term, airplanes would be prevented from flying while rail and other motorized conveyance would be stopped as well.

A great volume of the explosion would be projected into the air where, cooling, it would turn into bits of sharp, jagged rocks and glass. A grayish or black haze would immediately darken the sky because of the matter suspended in the air. A noticeable sulfuric odor, thunder and lightning would assail the senses.

With thunder rolling, the immediate disaster area would become blanketed in a muffled quiet. The first 12-60 hours would be characterized by a heavy ash fall. Structural damage to buildings would come about because of the weight of firmly packed ash. A foot's depth of ash would weigh enough to collapse a roof.

Rain would fall out of season as a result of the particles in the air. Water mixed with ash would coat everything with slime. Mudslides would soon follow the rain. Contaminates would be found in water supplies. Air filters on automobiles would become clogged, and roads would become too slippery to navigate. Electric companies would also encounter engine failures, resulting in uncertain availability of electricity.

Clouds of residual ash could be worked back into the air by human activity for weeks or even years after the ash had settled. To prevent breathing in ash particles, it would be necessary to don facial masks. Survivors would have to contend with limited clean air, resulting in widespread health concerns. Worldwide, there would be crop failures and loss of vegetation.

A hazy light would characterize the daytime as diffused light tried to penetrate the suspended particles in the atmosphere. Within days of the volcanic blast, the skies over Europe would be reddened. Two to three weeks later, Yellowstone's sulfuric acid cloud would blanket the earth. The upper atmosphere would be infused with sulfur creating a planetary climatic cooling effect as great as 10 degrees. Six to ten years could pass before normal temperatures started returning.

Scientists predict that because of temperature changes south of the equator, there will be failure of the monsoon season. Asia would experience monumental food shortages as a result of this reduced rainfall.

Weeks or even years prior to an eruption, Yellowstone National Park service scientists predict that there will be measurable warning signs. Hank Heasler, Yellowstone park geologist, stated that, "If the park were poised for a major eruption, the signs wouldn't be subtle."

Debi Pearl has authored a fictitious volume in The Vision. Nevertheless, there is an uncomfortable realness in regard to Yellowstone's super volcano.

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