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Key Facts about Preparing for a Volcanic Eruption

05/31/2013 01:09 PM EDT

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related MedlinePlus Page: Volcanoes

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05/31/2013 01:09 PM EDT

Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency
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Key Facts about Protecting Yourself After a Volcanic Eruption

05/31/2013 01:09 PM EDT

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related MedlinePlus Page: Volcanoes

Key Facts about Protecting Yourself During a Volcanic Eruption

05/31/2013 01:09 PM EDT

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Related MedlinePlus Page: Volcanoes

Key Facts About Preparing for a Volcanic Eruption

You can do many things to protect yourself and your family from the dangers a volcanic eruption can cause. The best way to protect yourself and your family is to follow the advice of local officials. Local authorities will give you information on how to prepare for a volcanic eruption, and if necessary, on how to evacuate (leave the area) or take shelter where you are.

How to prepare

Be prepared either to shelter or to evacuate. Develop an evacuation plan and a sheltering plan for yourself, your family, and others in your household. Review the plans and make sure that everyone understands them. If you haven’t already done so, put together an emergency supply kit

. Supplies should include the following:

Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit and manual
Emergency food and water
Manual (nonelectric) can opener
Essential medicines
Sturdy shoes
Respiratory (breathing) protection
Eye protection (goggles)
Battery-powered radio

Exposure to ash can harm your health, particularly the respiratory (breathing) tract. To protect yourself while you are outdoors or while you are cleaning up ash that has gotten indoors, use an N-95 disposable respirator (also known as an “air purifying respirator”). N-95 respirators can be purchased at businesses such as hardware stores. It is important to follow directions for proper use of this respirator. For more information, see NIOSH-Approved Disposable Particulate Respirators (Filtering Facepieces) . If you don’t have an N-95 respirator, you can protect yourself by using a nuisance dust mask as a last resort, but you should stay outdoors for only short periods while dust is falling. Nuisance dust masks can provide comfort and relief from exposure to relatively non-hazardous contaminants such as pollen, but they do not offer as much protection as an N-95 respirator. Cleanup or emergency workers may need a different type of breathing protection.

If you are told to evacuate

Follow authorities’ instructions if they tell you to leave the area. Though it may seem safe to stay at home and wait out an eruption, doing so could be very dangerous. Volcanoes spew hot, dangerous gases, ash, lava, and rock that are powerfully destructive.

Preparing to evacuate

Tune in the radio or television for volcano updates.
Listen for disaster sirens and warning signals.
Review your emergency plan and gather your emergency supplies. Be sure to pack at least a 1-week supply of prescription medications.
Prepare an emergency kit for your vehicle with food, flares, booster cables, maps, tools, a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, sleeping bags, a flashlight, batteries, etc.
Fill your vehicle’s gas tank.
If no vehicle is available, make arrangements with friends or family for transportation, or follow authorities’ instructions on where to obtain transportation.
Place vehicles under cover, if at all possible.
Put livestock in an enclosed area. Plan ahead to take pets with you, but be aware that many emergency shelters cannot accept animals.
Fill your clean water containers.
Fill sinks and bathtubs with water as an extra supply for washing.
Adjust the thermostat on refrigerators and freezers to the coolest possible temperature. If the power goes out, food will stay cooler longer.

As you evacuate

Take only essential items with you, including at least a 1-week supply of prescription medications.
If you have time, turn off the gas, electricity, and water.
Disconnect appliances to reduce the likelihood of electrical shock when power is restored.
Make sure your automobile’s emergency kit is ready.
Follow designated evacuation routes—others may be blocked—and expect heavy traffic and delays.

If you are told to take shelter where you are

Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. Local authorities may evacuate specific areas at greatest risk in your community.
Close and lock all windows and outside doors.
Turn off all heating and air conditioning systems and fans.
Close the fireplace damper.
Organize your emergency supplies and make sure household members know where the supplies are.
Make sure the radio is working.
Go to an interior room without windows that is above ground level.
Bring your pets with you, and be sure to bring additional food and water supplies for them.
It is ideal to have a hard-wired (non-portable) telephone in the room you select. Call your emergency contact—a friend or family member who does not live near the volcano—and have the phone available if you need to report a life-threatening condition. Remember that telephone equipment may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency.

Sources

For more information on volcanoes and health, see the following sources:

American Red Cross
- Volcano
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Volcanoes: Are You Ready?
U.S. Geological Survey
Washington State Department of Health
- Volcanoes (also available in Spanish )

Key Facts About Protecting Yourself After a Volcanic Eruption

You can do many things to protect yourself and your family after a volcanic eruption:

Pay attention to warnings, and obey instructions from local authorities. For example, stay indoors until local health officials tell you it is safe to go outside.
Listen to local news updates for information about air quality, drinking water, and roads.
Turn off all heating and air conditioning units and fans, and close windows, doors, and fireplace and woodstove dampers to help keep ash and gases from getting into your house.
Exposure to ash can harm your health, particularly the respiratory (breathing) tract. To protect yourself while you are outdoors or while you are cleaning up ash that has gotten indoors, a disposable particulate respirator (also known as an “air purifying respirator”) may be considered. An N-95 respirator is the most common type of disposable particulate respirator and can be purchased at businesses such as hardware stores. It is important to follow directions for proper use of this respirator. For more information, see NIOSH-Approved Disposable Particulate Respirators (Filtering Facepieces) . If you don’t have a disposable particulate respirator, you can protect yourself by using a nuisance dust mask as a last resort, but you should stay outdoors for only short periods while dust is falling. Nuisance dust masks can provide comfort and relief from exposure to relatively non-hazardous contaminants such as pollen, but they do not offer as much protection as a particulate respirator. Note that disposable particulate respirators do not filter toxic gases and vapors.
Stay away from ashfall areas, if possible. Avoid contact with ash as much as you can. Keep your skin covered to avoid irritation from contact with ash.
Wear goggles to protect your eyes from ash.
Do not travel unless you have to. Driving in ash is hazardous to your health and your car. Driving will stir up more ash that can clog engines and stall vehicles.
Replace disposable furnace filters or clean permanent furnace filters frequently.
If your drinking water has ash in it, use another source of drinking water, such as purchased bottled water, until your water can be tested.
Clear roofs of ash. Ash is very heavy and can cause buildings to collapse. Be very cautious when working on a roof. Ash can be slippery and make it easy to fall. Information about injuries and mass trauma events can be found in Injuries and Mass Trauma Events: Information for the Public.

Volcanic eruptions may result in floods, landslides and mudslides, power outages, and wildfires. For information on protecting yourself against these hazards, visit the following:

Earthquakes
Includes information on preparing for, surviving, and recovering from an earthquake.
Floods
Includes information on making sure food and water are safe, cleaning up, and emergency supplies.
Landslides and Mudslides
Includes information on protective measures to take before, during, and after a landslide or debris flow.
Power outages
Includes information on carbon monoxide poisoning, alternative heat and energy sources, downed power lines, and food and water safety.
Wildfires
Includes information on smoke inhalation and other wildfire hazards.

Sources

For more information on volcanoes and health, see the following sources:

American Red Cross
- Volcano
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Volcanoes: Are You Ready?
U.S. Geological Survey
Washington State Department of Health
- Volcanoes (also available in Spanish )
Key Facts About Protecting Yourself During a Volcanic Eruption
You can do many things to protect yourself and your family from the dangers a volcanic eruption can cause. The best way to do protect yourself and your family is to follow the advice of local officials. Local authorities will provide you with information on how to prepare for a volcanic eruption, and if necessary, on how to evacuate (leave the area) or take shelter where you are.

If a lahar, pyroclastic flow, or lava flow is headed toward you
Leave the area immediately. If you are warned to evacuate because an eruption is imminent, evacuate.
If you can drive rather than walk, use your vehicle to evacuate. When driving keep doors and windows closed, drive across the path of danger if you can or away from the danger if you can not, and watch for unusual hazards in the road.

If you are indoors

Close all windows, doors, and fireplace or woodstove dampers.
Turn off all fans and heating and air conditioning systems.
Bring pets and livestock into closed shelters.

If you are outdoors

Seek shelter indoors.
If caught in a rockfall, roll into a ball to protect your head.
If near a stream or river, be aware of rising water and possible mudflows in low-lying areas. Move up-slope as quickly as possible.
Seek care for burns right away. Immediate care can be life saving.
If your eyes, nose, and throat become irritated from volcanic gases and fumes, move away from the area immediately. Your symptoms should go away when you are no longer in contact with the gases or fumes. If the symptoms continue, consult your doctor.

Protecting yourself during ashfall

Stay inside, if possible, with windows and doors closed.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
Use goggles to protect your eyes.If ash is continually falling, you may not be able to shelter indoors for more than a few hours, because the weight of the ash could collapse the roof of your building and block air intakes into the building. Listen to authorities for advice on leaving the area when ashfall lasts more than a few hours.
Exposure to ash can harm your health, particularly the respiratory (breathing) tract. To protect yourself while you are outdoors or while you are cleaning up ash that has gotten indoors, a disposable particulate respirator (also known as an “air purifying respirator”) may be considered. An N-95 respirator is the most common type of disposable particulate respirator and can be purchased at businesses such as hardware stores. It is important to follow directions for proper use of this respirator. For more information, see NIOSH-Approved Disposable Particulate Respirators (Filtering Facepieces) . If you don’t have a particulate respirator, you can protect yourself by using a nuisance dust mask as a last resort, but you should stay outdoors for only short periods while dust is falling. Nuisance dust masks can provide comfort and relief from exposure to relatively non-hazardous contaminants such as pollen, but they do not offer as much protection as a particulate respirator. Cleanup or emergency workers may need a different type of breathing protection based on their work activity. Note that disposable particulate respirators do not filter toxic gases and vapors.
Keep your car or truck engine switched off. Avoid driving in heavy ashfall. Driving will stir up ash that can clog engines and stall vehicles. If you do have to drive, keep the car windows up and do not operate the air conditioning system. Operating the air conditioning system will bring in outside air and ash.