CHAPTER TEN

OTHER EXTREME WEATHER

VOLCANO

Mount Etna, Sicily. Credit: Pixabay.

In the United States, there are fifty active volcanoes. Surprisingly, all over the world, millions of people live near volcanoes. One-hundred-forty thousand people have died as a result of volcanoes over the last five hundred years. The only active volcanoes in America are located in Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Northwest. There are plenty of volcanoes in other states, but they are not active and pose no significant threat.

You might be picturing huge red lava flows destroying entire cities, but these death tolls don’t just occur from lava. Gases, toxic smoke, mudflows, pyroclastic projectiles, and even tsunamis are some of the killing results of an eruption. Lava flows are usually due to related causes: collapse of an active lava delta that forms when lava enters a body of water, explosions when lava interacts with water, asphyxiation due to toxic gases, pyroclastic flows from a collapsing dome, and lahars from meltwater.

A volcano is a breach in the earth’s surface or crust. Volcanoes erupt when pressure deep inside the earth builds up and is suddenly released. Debris includes lava, dangerous gases, and huge rocks that can be projected into the air and sometimes sail for hundreds of miles. Most volcanoes are dormant and no cause for concern. Volcanoes usually show signs of an impending eruption, which provides time for people located in the immediate vicinity to take precautions.

A river channel affected by lahars, Mount St. Helen’s, Washington. Credit: Lyn Topinka, USGS.

Lahars are volcanic mudflows created when water and ash mix. They are fast, deadly, and when they settle, they can be thick and are concrete-like. Pyroclastic flows are avalanches containing hot volcanic gases, ash, and volcanic bombs. On steep volcanoes pyroclastic flows reach speeds of over 100 miles per hour. Lava flows will destroy everything in their path and because of the extreme heat, which will ignite anything and everything. But they move slowly and you’ll usually have time to evacuate.

The most dangerous type of volcano is referred to as a supervolcano. A supervolcano usually takes the form of a huge caldera. A caldera is where the land surrounding a volcano collapses following a previous eruption. (Two examples of this can be seen in Valle Vidal in New Mexico and Yellowstone National Park.) Supervolcanoes are different from traditional volcanoes, where an eruption forms a cone-shaped mountain. An eruption of a supervolcano results in catastrophic damage to an entire continent. The chance of such a supervolcano eruption happening today is about one in seven hundred thousand every year.

Preparation

Fire caused by lava flow after the eruption of the Ki˜ lauea Volcano in Hawaii. Credit: J. D. Griggs, USFS.

Being ready for a volcano is like any other disaster; it requires preparation, education, and operation. Having the proper emergency preparedness kit, having a plan, and knowing what to do before and when a volcano erupts, will greatly improve you and your family’s chances of being safe. While some volcanoes erupt without warning, most will provide geological signals that suggest a possible eruption. Warning systems will keep you posted on what might happen.

Know your community’s warning system. If you live near a volcano, your community should have a plan in place to warn people that the volcano may erupt. If your community is in any danger, they will likely use a combination of emergency alerts through texts, apps, television, and radio, as well as employing sirens. As soon as you hear a siren, check your phone, turn on the radio, and discover what your local emergency management agency advises. They may advise to stay indoors, keep away from certain areas, or, in extreme cases, evacuate.

Just because you see a plume of debris rising from the volcano, or because you feel an earthquake, doesn’t mean the volcano is necessarily going to erupt. Many volcanos burp every so often. That’s why you should rely on the local warnings, the experts who know what’s going on at the rim. Don’t think you can ignore warnings. A volcanic eruption is a scary, unpredictable force. That said, if you are informed about your volcano and you see or feel something, that’s your cue to find out more and do so right then.

Most importantly, if you’re told to evacuate, do it right away. On the other hand, if you are not instructed to evacuate the area, stay where you are unless you can see immediate danger. Taking to the roads may be more hazardous than staying at home.

Planning

In order to know what to do when a volcano occurs, you need to create a Family Emergency Plan. Sit down with your family members and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in the event of a disaster or emergency. If a volcano erupts, power could be cut, cell phone service disrupted, and water supply contaminated, so you need to be prepared for these contingencies. Because volcanic eruptions can cause havoc in many different directions, you need to select several alternative routes. These should be the steps of your plan: review evacuation routes; understand emergency alert systems; create evacuation and preparedness plans; prepare emergency kit and food supplies.

Mt. Rainier, Seattle. Credit: Lyn Topinka, USGS.

Volcano Emergency Supplies List

• Emergency food

• Drinking water

• Flashlights

• Radios

• Sanitation and hygiene supplies

• Emergency blankets

• Phone chargers

• Ziploc baggies to protect against ash

• Extra clothing including long-sleeve shirt, bandana, cap

• A first-aid kit (add different kinds of burn cream, ointment, or gel)

• Blankets and warm clothing

• Cash and change

• Whistle

• Masks (surgical style)

• Particulate filtering face-piece respirators (We recommend the N-95, which is the most common.)

• Manual can opener

• Goggles

• Cash, in case ATMs are down

• A battery-powered radio and fresh batteries

• Hand-cranked radio

• Necessary medications

• A map of the region

• A hazard map of the volcano region. Often, local emergency management agency or U.S. Geological Survey will offer maps that show probable paths of lava flows and lahar (or mud flows) and give estimates for the minimum time it would take a flow to reach a given location. They also divide the area around the volcano into zones, from high-risk to low-risk.

Store at least three days (and preferably two to three weeks’) supply of food and water at your home. In the event of an eruption, water supplies may become contaminated. Keep all your supplies in one place. We recommend a storage drum that is sealable, and a backpack or two so you can carry it with you if you need to evacuate.

Sit down with your family and friends and create a household evacuation plan. If the sirens go off, it’s easy to panic but if you have a solid plan and everyone is familiar with it, you’ll be okay. Come up with one major evacuation route but have two alternative routes. Think about what would happen if you are in your car and the ash clogs the engine. What will you need in your emergency supply list? Who’s in charge of the pets in an emergency? It’s a good idea to have each person of the household have responsibilities in the plan. Stick a printed checklist on the fridge so you don’t forget anything.

If you’re visiting a volcano

Credit: Pete Johnson.

On one of your future trips, you may find yourself within the eruption zone of an active volcano. Think not? Seattle, Washington. Yellowstone National Park. Oregon, California, Hawaii, Alaska. Italy. Japan. Iceland. Guatemala. Chile. America has 169 active volcanoes (although most are in Alaska) and Europe has sixty. So if you end up near a volcano, it is worthwhile to consider how to survive an eruption because it could happen suddenly.

If you found yourself in a volcanic event, what would you do? Start by letting family and friends know where you’ll be. If you are not going with a guide, and you don’t come home, they’ll know where to begin searching. Did you know many people purposefully visit active volcanoes? Volcanic tours provide a niche tourism for many locales.

Learn about the volcano. Stay informed by listening to the radio or checking the local news. Bring some basic volcano survival gear. Water, first-aid kit, and flashlights are mainstays in any survival kit, but a mask and goggles are must-haves in this kit. If you’re hiking near or on the volcano, you’ll want to wear a helmet.

When was the last time this volcano erupted? Is it monitored? Would there be any reason for you to expect an eruption? Have there been recent warnings or activity? Additionally, you should still be familiar with the region’s warning system. Get familiar with evacuation procedures.

If you’re going to be climbing or hiking near the volcano, you should bring a few survival items that will help you survive if you’re caught outside without access to shelter. You’ll need a respirator and goggles to protect your face and help you breathe. Bring long pants and long-sleeved shirts. Bring a couple of bottles of water in case you become trapped.

Survival

Credit: AusAID,creativecommons.org licenses by 2.0.

The best way to stay safe is to listen to and follow the advice of local emergency management. They will have learned the latest about the volcano from experts and can provide you with the latest information regarding road closures and status reports.

While you are monitoring alerts, be active. 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. Listen for emergency alerts and do what they say. If you are outdoors. Seek shelter indoors. Stay inside until you hear that it’s safe to come out.

If you get caught outdoors, don’t stay outdoors. Get inside. You’ll have to determine whether you can make it back to your house safely. You might not be able to, and in that case, you’ll have planned for this contingency in your emergency plan. Get into a safe building and determine your next course of action. Contact your family members. If you’re out in your yard, just go inside. It’s understandable to look toward the volcano to see what’s going on, but don’t gawk for long. Time is of the essence.

If you don’t get an evacuation notice, if you decide that you’re staying until otherwise determined, go inside to a room with interior walls. Make sure all of your family members and pets are inside. Locate your emergency supplies and bring them with you. If you have time, protect your vehicles by putting them inside the garage.

If you get caught outside and not near shelter, get to higher ground. Watch for flying debris and pyroclastics, which are rocks and debris (often red-hot) sent airborne during an eruption. If there is a projection of smaller pyroclastics, face away from the volcano, hunker down on the ground, and protect your head with your arms, a backpack, or anything else you can find.

One danger that is difficult to avoid, unless you are equipped with a proper gas mask, is exposure to poisonous gases. Volcanoes emit gases, and some of these gases are debilitating and often deadly. If you don’t have a proper gas mask, breathe through a respirator, mask, or moist piece of cloth. Volcanic gases are dangerous and are heavier than air. These gases will collect and accumulate near the ground so getting low isn’t a good idea. So the idea is that if you sense gases, get away as quickly as possible.

Get to high ground if you can’t find shelter. Lava flows, flooding, mudflows (which commonly result from eruptions), and lahars are all deadly and tend to travel through valleys and low-lying areas. Protect your eyes as well. Wear goggles if your mask doesn’t cover your eyes. Keep your skin covered with long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. If you see geothermal areas, go around them. Geothermal clues include hot-spots, geysers, or mudpots, and the ground around these is thin. If you fall through, you’re going to get burns or worse.

If you decide to drive, grab your emergency kit backpacks. Keep doors and windows closed, the air conditioner off, and don’t drive across the path of danger. Follow your evacuation plans, listen to the radio, and watch for unusual hazards in the road. Be prepared to change to your second or third route if needed.

If the predominant result from the eruption is ashfall, this bears close monitoring. Stay inside with windows and doors closed. Because ash is abrasive, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Use goggles to protect your eyes and a mask to protect your breathing. Volcanic ash is composed of particles that are like tiny pieces of glass and will seriously hurt your eyes and lungs. If ash is falling with no end in sight, you may not be able to shelter indoors for more than a few hours, because ash is heavy and the weight of the ash could collapse your roof of your building and/or block air intakes.

Exposure to ash can harm your respiratory (breathing) tract, too. To protect yourself while you are outdoors or while you are cleaning up ash that has gotten indoors, you may steal from your emergency kit or purchase a box of disposable particulate respirators (also known as an air purifying respirator). The N-95 respirator is the most common type of disposable particulate respirator and can be purchased at online or at most hardware stores. Note that disposable particulate respirators do not filter toxic gases and vapors.

Aftermath

The worst might seem like it’s over but there are still many hazards facing you from the eruption.

Pumice blocks at the edge of pyroclastic flow at Mount St. Helen’s. Credit: Donald A. Swanson.

First, remain indoors until you’re told it’s safe to come out. Keep listening to the radio, and if you have service, checking your alerts on your phone and inform family members you are okay.

Stay inside until the ash stops falling. If you do go outside before it’s deemed safe, make sure your body is covered from head to toe and that you breathe through a respirator or moistened cloth. Drink only bottled water until the tap water can be determined to be clean. If you see ash in any water or suspect it’s invaded the source, avoid drinking it.

Seek medical care for burns or gas right away. Immediate care can be lifesaving. If your eyes, nose, and throat become irritated from volcanic gases and fumes, get away from the area immediately. If your symptoms continue after being away from the volcano for a while, see a doctor.

There is a good chance that if ash falls for many hours, officials might advise evacuating, even after the eruption is over. The danger from roof collapses is real. Stay away from areas with heavy ash fall. Don’t walk or drive in areas close to the volcano where a lot of ash has collected. Turn on the radio to find out which areas were most severely affected so you can avoid accidentally ending up in a danger zone.

Areas with high volcanic activity often have designated shelters. If your roof is in danger, you might consider going to a shelter. If your house is getting ash inside it, get to a shelter. You don’t want to expose yourself and others to ash and the chemicals in ash. Also, sulfuric acid and other acids may seep into water, so keep checking your water supply.

You want to keep ashfall out of your house or building so close all windows, doors, and any other openings. Turn off all fans and heating and air conditioning systems so you don’t bring in or dust up the ash. Your pets need to remain indoors except when they have to go outside for a bathroom break.

Keeping away from ash is especially important for people with respiratory conditions like asthma or bronchitis. Don’t drive through areas with heavy ash fall, either. The ash will clog up your engine and ruin it.

Clear ash from your home and property. When you’re sure it’s safe to go out, you’ll need to clear the ash from your rooftop first. Ash is very heavy and can cause roofs to collapse, especially when it’s wet. If wind stirs it up, it will be harmful to those who breathe it in. Your vehicles may be covered in ash and it’s awfully abrasive so you’ll likely end up with paint scratches even if you are careful.

Wear long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and cover your mouth with a mask so you don’t breathe in the ash. You might also want to wear goggles. Shovel the ash into trash bags, then seal them and dispose of them according to your community’s recommendations. Don’t turn on your air conditioner or evaporative cooler nor should you open up your vents until most of the ash has been cleared away.

Keep your car or truck engine turned off and by all means, avoid driving in heavy ashfall. Driving will stir up ash that can clog engines and stall vehicles. You can easily ruin your engine. 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.

Replace disposable furnace filters or clean permanent furnace filters. If you discover your drinking water has ash in it, use another source of drinking water, such as purchased bottled water, until your water can be tested or the local authorities give the all clear.

Pay attention to advisories and warnings, and obey instructions from local authorities. For example, if told to stay indoors until local health officials tell you it is safe to go outside, stay indoors. Listen to local news updates for information about air quality, drinking water, and roads. 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.

LIGHTNING

Credit: Kevin Skow, NOAA.

This surprised us, but of all storm-related deaths, lightning comes in at number two, killing more people, on average, in the US than either hurricanes or tornadoes. Only floods kill more than lightning strikes each year. According to the National Weather Service, your typical lightning flash contains a whopping three hundred million volts of electricity. Amazingly, only about 10 percent of those struck by lightning are killed. Ninety percent of the victims survive but many carry lifelong injuries, physical (mostly neurological) and emotional.

In America, lightning strikes kill about one hundred people each year and injure about a thousand. Worldwide, lightning strikes kill twenty-four thousand people and about 240,000 survive lightning. The chances of being the victim from a lighting strike are about one in 600,000.

The best way to survive a lightning strike is to avoid being outdoors in the first place. If you are outside, use the 30–30 Rule. Once you see lightning, start counting. If you can’t count to thirty before hearing thunder, get inside proper shelter. Don’t go outside until thirty minutes have passed after the last clap of thunder.

So, if you plan to be outside, watch the weather forecast before your go out. Know your local weather patterns, especially in summer months. Plan around the weather to avoid any lightning hazard. Be observant while you are out, and look for clues that thunderstorms are developing. Do you see thickening, darkening clouds? Are the clouds vertical, and are the wind and rain increasing? Lightning can strike with no rain. The rain might be off in the distance but lightning can still occur.

So if you try the 30–30 rule and you determine lightning is likely, seek proper shelter. Don’t hesitate, seek shelter immediately. Every second counts.

Building

What is proper shelter? The best shelter against lightning is a fully-enclosed, substantially-constructed building, so in other words, the typical house, school, library, or public building. Substantially-constructed means it has wiring and plumbing in the walls so as to divert the electricity from the strike.

Once inside, stay away from any conducting paths to the outside. Stay away from electrical appliances, lighting, and electric sockets, plumbing.

Vehicle

If you can’t get to a substantially-constructed building, you might find refuge in a vehicle but not a convertible or car with fiberglass or plastic shells. Avoid contact with conducting paths going outside: close the windows, don’t touch the steering wheel, ignition, gear shifter, or radio. Rubber tires and rubber-soled shoes provide virtually no protection from lightning.

Places to avoid

Tree destroyed by lightning strike.

If you can’t get to a proper lightning shelter, house, or vehicle, at least avoid the most dangerous locations and activities.

• Avoid higher elevations.

• Avoid wide-open areas (fields and beaches).

• Avoid tall isolated objects like trees, flagpoles, and light posts.

• Avoid being around water sports: boating, swimming or fishing.

• Avoid golfing.

• Avoid unprotected open buildings like picnic pavilions, rain shelters, and bus stops.

• Avoid metal fences and metal bleachers.

• Do not go under trees, either individual or several.

If you’re caught outdoors and can’t take cover during a lightning storm, do not go to the one tree in an open field. That’s the most likely spot for the lightning to strike. Instead seek shelter in a low area like a valley or a ravine. If lightning is imminent, it will sometimes provide you with a few seconds of warning. Sometimes your hair will stand up on end, or your skin will tingle, or light metal objects will vibrate, or you’ll hear a crackling sound, or you’ll see a blue haze. As a last, desperate measure, get into the lightning crouch. Put your feet together, squat down, tuck your head, and cover your ears.

Lightning First Aid:

If a person is struck by lightning, render assistance immediately. It’s a common myth that victims carry an electrical charge but it is not true, and they cannot shock or hurt anyone.

• Call 911.

• Deaths from lightning are from cardiac arrest and stopped breathing at the time of the strike. CPR and mouth-to-mouth-resuscitation are the best ways to recover the victim.

• If you are still in an active thunderstorm and at continuing risk to yourself or your party, move the victim to a safer location.

DUST STORM

Farm outside of Ritzville, Washington in the midst of a dust storm. Credit: Susan DeWald, USDA.

If you don’t live in the western or southwestern regions of the United States, you may only think dust storms, haboobs, and sandstorms only occur in an Egyptian mummy movie or the deserts of the Middle East. But during the monsoon season of mid to late summer, those in the arid sections of southwest US run the risk of these infrequent but powerful storms.

What is a haboob? A haboob is an intense dust storm that is carried on a weather front. When the storm collapses, when it begins to release precipitation, wind directions reverse, gusting outward from the storm and gusting strongly in the direction of the storm’s travel. When this downburst of cold air hits the ground, it blows dust or sand up from the ground, and creates a wall of sediment that precedes the thunderstorm.

This wall of dust can be as wide as fifty to sixty miles (although there have been storms that reach as much as one hundred miles wide) and a mile high. At their strongest, haboob winds often travel at 20 to 60 miles per hour, and the biggest dilemma is that they may approach with little or no warning. You look up and there they are, big, imposing brown walls. Even though the haboob might contain rain, the hot dry air evaporates the water before it reaches the ground. Evaporation cools the air and as a result, accelerates it. Sometimes instead of fronting a rainstorm, haboobs occur when a storm collapses and forms a microburst.

These storms of dust and sand are violent and unpredictable. These high winds lift dirt or sand and unleash a turbulent, suffocating cloud that can reduce visibility to nothing in a matter of seconds and cause property damage, injuries, power outages, travel delays or closures, and even deaths. These storms are especially hazardous to those with eye and respiratory problems. No matter where you live, it’s a good idea to know what to do if you see a big dust/sand wall racing toward you.

If you are in a storm-prone area in the western or southwestern United States, you should always be aware that one of these dust storms could occur. Pay attention to dust storm warnings. Dust storms are most likely to occur on hot summer days under certain atmospheric conditions, and meteorologists have gotten good at predicting these storms. Tune in to local TV or radio broadcasts before traveling in hot, dry conditions. If there’s a good chance you’ll get caught in a dust storm, it’s worth thinking about not traveling at all.

Carry a backpack or keep a box in the trunk of your car filled with items you need in the event of a dust/sand storm. Fill the emergency kit with these items:

• A mask designed to filter out small particulates.

• Airtight goggles (eyeglasses won’t keep particles out).

• A water supply (bottles of water or a jug).

• A warm blanket because if it’s a winter dust storm, things can quickly lead to hypothermia.

You might get caught out away from your house or car and if so, you probably won’t have your emergency kit with you. Do not try to outrun one of these dust storms on foot. Wind storms are unpredictable and faster than you, so you could be overtaken if it suddenly changes direction or picks up speed. If you can go into a building or shelter of some kind, do so. If not, get ready to hunker down.

Haboob outside of Phoenix, Arizona.

Cover as much of your body as possible to protect yourself from flying sand. Wind-propelled sand can hurt, but a dust storm’s high winds can also carry heavier projectiles too. If you find yourself without shelter, try to stay low to the ground and protect your head with your arms, a backpack, or a purse. Wait out the storm. Don’t try to move through the storm because it’s too disorienting and too dangerous.

If you have a mask, put it over your nose and mouth. Short of that, use a scarf, bandana, or shirt. A respirator is designed to filter out small particulates, and we recommend this in particular if you have asthma or breathing problems. So if the storm is coming, put it on immediately. Apply a small amount of Vaseline to the inside of your nostrils to prevent drying of your mucous membranes.

Protect your eyes. Airtight goggles offer protection from blowing dust or sand, but eyeglasses don’t offer much at all. If you didn’t add goggles to your kit, shield your face with your arm or wrap a piece of cloth tightly around your entire head to protect your eyes and ears until the storm passes.

Let’s take a different and more-likely scenario:

You’re in your car and you see a dust storm from some distance; you may be able to outrun it or detour around it. While some of these storms travel at 60 miles per hour or more, most travel slower than that. You have to make an intelligent decision in trying to outrun a storm, so it is not advisable if you have to put yourself (and your passengers) at risk by traveling at high speeds. If you attempt to outrun it and the storm is catching up with you, stop and prepare for it. Once consumed by the storm, your visibility can potentially be reduced to zero in a matter of seconds. Drive to a safe place where you can take shelter until the storm passes.

Pull the car over and stop. If you’re driving and visibility drops to less than two hundred to three hundred feet, it’s time to pull off the road. If you are able to pull off somewhere safely, turn off your headlights, roll up the windows and turn off vents that bring outside air in. Turn on your hazard lights, and as you park safely, proceed with caution, and honk your horn periodically.

You want to turn your headlights off so that other drivers don’t use your taillights as a guide. You don’t want to risk a rear-end collision. If you are pulled off the road and are sitting there with your lights on, someone might think they can follow you. Take cover and stay put. Do not attempt to move about in a blinding dust storm, since you won’t be able to see any potential hazards. Heavy rain may follow the dust storm and the combination of rain and dust makes for a messy windshield wiper situation.