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+--- Thread: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist (/showthread.php?tid=19420)
Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - terracore - 05-02-2018
I watched Mt. Saint Helens blow from my childhood home and dealt with the aftermath living in an ash fallout area. This post isn't really about lava because the only thing you can do in that situation is evacuate.
I don't know how much ash Hawaii volcanoes create but it is unpleasant to deal with. I think the quantity of ash is dependent on the type of eruption that occurs, but ash plumes and their fallout can extend hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the volcano, so don't think you are "safe" if you live 50 miles away from the volcano. You might actually get more fallout than somebody right next to it depending on how the wind blows. I do think that Hawaii volcanoes are associated with little ash fallout, but it doesn't take much to ruin your day.
First thing on the checklist should be to know how to quickly disconnect your catchment tank from the roof. If you don't know how, you can take a machete to your downspouts in an emergency. Unless you have a solid cover, and most of us don't, you may want to have a plan like a tarp that can be thrown over the tank itself to keep the ash from falling into your water supply directly. But be careful that the ash load doesn't weight down your tank and cause the side to burst. I don't think the ash makes the water unsafe to drink, but it will cause a mess and might even damage your pump and certainly clog your filters.
Some of us live in unpermitted situations where snow loads etc weren't taken into consideration during construction. If the ash fallout is significant, you may need a method to remove it from your roof to keep it from collapsing. Likewise, electrical conduit tarp structures won't stand up.
Volcanic ash is very sharp. If you run your windshield wipers during an ash fallout, it will scratch and ruin the glass. The only way to remove it without damaging your windshield is with water. If we ran to the store etc during the fallout, we had to take a 5 gallon bucket of water with us to clear off the windshield for the drive home. The same can be said for your solar panels. Rinse, never brush or try to sweep off the ash.
The ash is equally dangerous to the inside of your lungs. If you have to work in an ash fallout you will need some way to filter the air you breathe, even if its just a crude handkerchief over your mouth and nose. If you are close to the eruption, the ash might be very hot, and you will want a long sleeve shirt, a makeshift scarf, and other protective wear.
Driving in an ash fallout clogs an air filter and causes the car to stall. After St. Helens the stores quickly sold out of air filters. People kept their cars running by blowing the filters out with compressed air. Others just removed the filters completely and dealt with the fact that their engines were getting messed up.
Ash fallout can also cause lightning. It can also block out the sun.
Aircraft cannot fly in ash fallouts, expect disruption to the supply chain, and suspension of medical air evacuations during a fallout.
Volcanic eruptions are frequently associated with large earthquakes. Large earthquakes are frequently associated with tsunamis. All of these natural disasters are associated with loss of power, loss of basic services, clogged roadways, and overwhelmed responders. You should take the same precautions that you would when a large hurricane or tsunami is approaching. Have cash and medicine on hand, be prepared to evacuate, and know how to deal with ash fallout if you are sheltering in place. A great deal of our power is produced in areas prone to eruption damage. A lack of power could last a long time, and your solar panels won't help you if they are covered in ash.
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - reni - 05-02-2018
Was reading world news this morning......Thought I out to post this and let the rest of you decide how credible it is. Lava may be heading our way again.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hawaii-volcano-eruption-latest-earthquakes-kilauea-puu-oo-rift-zone-puna-a8332311.html
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - birdmove - 05-02-2018
Good points! When Saint Helens went off we were living in Bonney Lake Washington on Lake Tapps. That's near Sumner, Puyallup, etc. While I think much of the ash blew into Montana, we did get a coating of it at our place, maybe 1/4' thick. I remember sweeping off our deck. After the sweeping it was as if I had sanded the whole deck with sandpaper.
My parents were driving home to Burien (kind of a southern suburb of Seattle) when it erupted. They made it home without plugging the air filter, but others weren't so lucky.
Here is a short video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYla6q3is6w
Jon in Keaau/HPP
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - leilanidude - 05-02-2018
An eruption with huge ash clouds is not very likely at all with our Hawaii volcanoes. Large lava flows or a fountain of lava, yes.
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - terracore - 05-02-2018
"Most of Kilauea’s activity has been not been explosive, but an eruption in 1924 spewed ash and 10-tonne rocks into the sky, killing one man."
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - HereOnThePrimalEdge - 05-02-2018
Here's a description of the 1960 Kapoho eruption:
During the last week of the year, tiny earthquakes were recorded at the seismograph in Pahoa, some 40 km (25 mi) down the east rift zone from K#299;lauea's summit. After quieting down for a week, more than 1,000 earthquakes were recorded on January 12. HVO seismologists used a portable seismograph to pinpoint the source of the swarm as an area just north of Kapoho village, 47 km from the summit.
The size and frequency of the earthquakes increased sharply in the darkness of early morning on January 13. By daybreak the ground was severely cracked through town, along the trace of the Kapoho fault. The ground shook, and fault ruptures caused loud booming sounds. The roughly 300 residents undertook voluntary evacuation.
...
Barriers were built in an attempt to divert lava flows (they didn't work)
...
For the first two weeks, Kapoho village remained virtually intact except for a blanket of pumice and ash that covered everything.
You can read the full sequence of events at:
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/kilauea/geo_hist_kapoho.html
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - ironyak - 05-02-2018
While not to the scale of Mount St. Helens, any eruption along the lower east rift zone these days will put lava, and potentially ash, very close to many residents so being aware of and prepared for handling it makes sense. Thanks for the info terracore!
It still amazes me the number of people here who have lived near multiple eruptions from different volcanoes. Moths to the flame or innate volcanologists who missed their calling? (or both
ETA: clarity
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - lquade - 05-02-2018
i remember the cars all lined up along the HWY at the mountain view post office. we were all watching the fountains of fire in the air from kilauea. we were looking through my dad's surveyor transit at the boulders flying out. dad said you realize they look like little rocks but they are the size of VWs! think that was 82 or 83... of course when mauna loa went now that was scary as we were over in kona for the day.. never know what pele is up to, she is full of surprises.
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - knieft - 05-02-2018
quote:
Originally posted by reni
Was reading world news this morning......Thought I out to post this and let the rest of you decide how credible it is. Lava may be heading our way again.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hawaii-volcano-eruption-latest-earthquakes-kilauea-puu-oo-rift-zone-puna-a8332311.html
And it has more info than the local paper!
Cheers,
Kirt
RE: Volcanic eruption preparation checklist - Peter Epperson - 05-02-2018
Coincidence??
http://www.unknowncountry.com/news/heavy-rains-make-volcanoes-erupt
They're not referring specifically to Hawaiian volcanoes but it's not a farfetched idea.