#15,281
When it comes to natural disasters in the United States - hurricanes, floods, wildfires and even the rare major earthquake comes to mind - but most people forget that the continental United States has a number of active, and potentially dangerous volcanoes.
In October of 2018, in USGS Updated Volcano Threat Assessment - 2018, we saw that 11 of the 18 very highest threat volcanoes on U.S. soil are located in the Western United States - 4 in Washington, 4 in Oregon & 3 in California. (note: Yellowstone is ranked 21st).Additionally, 39 volcanoes are listed as posing a `high threat', and 49 are ranked as a `moderate' threat. These are not predictions of which volcanoes are apt to blow next, but rather an assessment of the potential severity of impacts that future eruptions might generate.
A few months later, in USGS: California’s Exposure to Volcanic Hazards, we looked at a report from the USGS, find that roughly 200,000 Californian's work, live, or pass through that state's volcanic hazard zones on a daily basis. They wrote:
The potential for damaging earthquakes, landslides, floods, tsunamis, and wildfires is widely recognized in California. The same cannot be said for volcanic eruptions, despite the fact that they occur in the state about as frequently as the largest earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault. At least ten eruptions have taken place in the past 1,000 years, and future volcanic eruptions are inevitable.Suggesting that the next `big one' to hit California might be eruptive, rather than an earthquake.
Forty years ago this week, Washington State's Mount St. Helen's produced a massive eruption, killing 57 people, and forever changing how we view the volcano threat in the lower 48 states. This synopsis from the USGS:
Mount St. Helens’ Eruption Anniversary
On Sunday, May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m., the bulging north flank of Mount St. Helens slid away in a massive landslide. Seconds later, the uncorked volcano exploded and blasted rocks laterally, destroying centuries of forest growth in a span of several minutes. Nine hours of explosive volcanic activity ensued, altering the landscape, and what we know about volcanoes, forever.
Fifty-seven people died during that eruption, and more than $1 billion in damages occurred. Quieter eruptions during 1980-1986, and again in 2004-2008 built lava domes within the crater. Scientists at the USGS and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network maintain a dense monitoring network on Mount St. Helens and other Cascade volcanoes.We've discussed eruptive hazards before - both internationally (see here, here, and here), and domestically (see Washington State: Volcano Awareness Month). While earthquake damage is generally localized, volcanic eruptions (and tsunamis) can affect property and populations thousands of miles away.
- In 2010 airline traffic in Europe was disrupted by the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano (see study The vulnerability of the European air traffic network to spatial hazards), halting many flights for nearly a week.
- When Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines in 1991, within a year its aerosol cloud had dispersed around the globe, resulting in `an overall cooling of perhaps as large as -0.4°C over large parts of the Earth in 1992-93’ (see USGS The Atmospheric Impact of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption).
- In 1783 the Craters of Laki in Iceland erupted and over the next 8 months spewed clouds of clouds of deadly hydrofluoric acid & Sulphur Dioxide, killing over half of Iceland’s livestock and roughly 25% of their human population. These noxious clouds drifted over Europe, and resulted in widespread crop failures and thousands of deaths from direct exposure to these fumes (see 2012 UK: Civil Threat Risk Assessment)
All of which means you don't have to live in the shadow of one of these slumbering giants to be impacted by an eruption.
Some volcanic hazards - like ash fall - can spread hundreds of miles. And even a light dusting of volcanic ash can wreak havoc on power lines, and airline traffic.Fittingly, May is Volcano Awareness Month in Washington State, and they take volcano preparedness every bit as seriously as Floridians do Hurricane preparedness.
While I don't recommend that anyone lie awake at night worrying about the next potential disaster, every home should be at least minimally prepared to deal with one if it happens.
So . . . if a disaster struck your region today, and the power went out, stores closed their doors, and water stopped flowing from your kitchen tap for the next 7 to 14 days . . . do you already have:
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
If your answer is `no’, you have some work to do. A good place to get started is by visiting Ready.gov. A few of my previous preparedness blogs include:
The Gift Of Preparedness - 2019 Holiday Edition
When 72 Hours Isn’t Enough
In An Emergency, Who Has Your Back?
