When a volcano blast occurs, hot solid and molten rock fragments and gases are shot into the air. As a result, ashflows can occur on all sides of a volcano and ash can be carried hundreds of miles downwind. Mudflows and floods are also a common and dangerous occurrence in valleys leading away from volcanoes following a blast. If you live near a known volcano, active or dormant, listen to instructions from officials and warnings posted through your local emergency management office to determine the best course of action for you and your family in the event of a volcanic blast.

How to Prepare

It is important to take the time to learn about your community warning systems and emergency plans. When preparing for a natural disaster, you are not necessarily preparing for only one type of emergency. When preparing for a volcano, keep in mind these hazards, as they tend to follow a volcanic blast:

• Mudflows
• Flash Floods
• Landslides
• Earthquakes
• Ashfall
• Acid Rain
• Tsunamis

Make evacuation plans.

• If you live in a known volcanic hazard area, plan an escape route out and have a backup route in mind.

Develop an emergency communication plan.

• Choose an out-of-town contact your family can call or e-mail to check on each other should a disaster occur. Your contact should live far enough away that they would be unlikely to be directly affected by the same event, and they should know they are the chosen contact. Make sure every household member has that contact's, and each other's, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers. Your family should know that if telephones are not working, they need to be patient and try again later or try e-mail.

Have disaster supplies on hand:

• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit and manual
• Emergency food and water
• Essential medicines
• Dust mask
• Sturdy shoes

Following a Blast

Evacuation:
Although your first thought may be to stay at home and wait out an eruption, if you are in a hazardous zone, doing so could be very dangerous. Follow authorities’ instructions and put your disaster plan into action. If evacuation orders are issued by authorities, make sure to follow these warnings.

If caught indoors:

• Close all windows and doors.
• Bring animals and livestock into closed shelters.
• Put all machinery inside a garage or barn.

If trapped outdoors:

• Seek shelter indoors.
• If caught in a rockfall, roll into a ball to protect your head.
• Be aware of mudflows. Move up slope, especially if you hear the roar of a mudflow.

Protect yourself during ashfall:

• Keep skin covered to avoid irritation from contact with ash.
• Wear goggles or glasses to protect your eyes from falling ash.
• Cover your mouth and nose. Volcanic ash can irritate your respiratory system. Use a dust mask or hold a damp cloth over your face.
• Avoid driving in heavy ashfall. Driving will stir up more ash which may clog engines and stall vehicles.
• If you have a respiratory ailment, avoid contact with any amount of ash. Stay indoors until local health officials advise it is safe to go outside.

It's Not all about the Volcano Blast

Mudflows after a volcano blast are often the cause of most volcano damage. Mudflows are powerful rivers of mud that can move 20 to 40 mph, and are caused when hot ash or lava from a volcanic eruption rapidly melts snow and ice at the summit of a volcano. The melted water quickly mixes with falling ash, with soil cover on lower slopes, and with debris in its path. This turbulent mixture can travel more than 50 miles away from the volcano. Also intense rainfall can erode fresh volcanic deposits to form large mudflows. If you see the water level of a stream begin to rise, quickly move to high ground. If a mud-flow is approaching or passes a bridge, stay away from the bridge. Effects of a volcanic eruption can be experienced many miles from a volcano. Mudflows and flash flooding, wildland fires, and even deadly hot ashflow can reach you even if you cannot see the volcano during an eruption.