How to Prepare for Volcanic Disaster

You can escape death if you are prepared before the volcano erupts. With preparation, you will protect your health and property against volcanic ash. An action plan is key, and educating everyone in your home about it will help ensure their safety and well-being when disaster strikes. When a volcano erupts, you should follow the instructions of the authorities, but be prepared to seek shelter and evacuate.

Table of Contents

Emergency planning

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Outline an emergency communication plan. Volcanic eruptions can be very dangerous, and those who live or work near an active volcano need to be prepared. The first step is to outline a comprehensive plan so you can contact family members in the event of an emergency.

First, you will write down all the ways to contact each other, the phone numbers and email addresses involved. Don’t forget to write down the landline number.
Volcanoes can erupt unexpectedly when your family is not fully present at home, so it’s important to learn the emergency plans of schools, workplaces, and local authorities.
Identify someone living out of town, such as a relative or friend, as the contact center.
If you are separated and cannot communicate with each other, contact this person to act as a mediator between you.

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Identify emergency meeting locations. As part of your emergency plan, you should define some specific meeting locations where family members can go if a volcano erupts or must be evacuated. If someone in your family has a disability, make sure the places you choose are easily accessible. Take pets into account when planning and identifying places where they can be sent. You need to identify four different meeting places.

One of these should be indoors, preferably a nearby home or storm shelter – a place that can protect you from high winds and volcanic ash.
The second place should be in your neighborhood but not your house. If for some reason you can’t get home, a place nearby would be ideal.
The third place should be in town but out of your neighborhood. A public building such as a library or community cultural center is a good choice.
Finally, locate a place that is out of town. This is where you will go to meet with other members if you have to evacuate the town unexpectedly. The home of relatives or friends out of town is the best choice for this location.

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Discuss plans with family members. Take time to discuss plans with family members so that everyone understands, and provide everyone with a list of relevant contact information. Everyone in your household should know what to do if an evacuation notice is issued, and they need to understand that it’s not fair to other members if some of your family members choose to stay despite the notice. evacuation. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can rehearse your plans and revise them during regular family meetings to make sure everyone is involved and a part of it. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Talking to young children about the possibility of a disaster instead of lying is never going to happen.
If children know that everything is planned and know what to do, they will have less fear and anxiety when disaster strikes.

Prepare essentials

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Gather a set of emergency supplies . This set of essentials is something anyone living near a volcano should always have on hand. ^{[3] X Research Resources} The kit will include a first aid kit, food and water, an ash mask like the one used when mowing, a bottle opener, a flashlight with spare batteries, medications, hard shoes, goggles or eye protection, and battery-powered radios.

Make sure everyone in the home knows where this kit is kept, and is easily accessible in the event of an emergency.
The device that combines the three functions of flashlight, phone charger, and radio powered by solar and hand crank is ideal for home preparation in the event of a natural disaster. Include this device in your kit if you have one.

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Prepare an emergency kit for the car. Just like an emergency kit, you should prepare an emergency kit specifically for your car. This includes emergency supplies such as food, first aid kits, sleeping bags, blankets, spare batteries, and travel tools. Be sure to bring a map, an external starter cable for the vehicle, a fire extinguisher, and some tools.

Try to fill up the car’s gas tank. If you don’t have a car, consider arranging a ride with a neighbor or friend.
You must discuss this with them in advance and do not wait for an evacuation order.
If you are unable to arrange transportation, notify emergency services personnel during the evacuation.

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Apply respiratory protection measures. One of the main dangers of volcanic eruptions is the risk of volcanic ash causing respiratory damage. Volcanic ash can be dispersed hundreds of miles by wind, and is most dangerous to infants, the elderly, or people with respiratory problems. ^{[4] X Research Source} If someone in your home is in a high-risk group, you should buy a respirator.

N-95 disposable masks are recommended for use by the government, and are sold at local hardware stores.
If you don’t have an N-95 mask, buy a regular dust mask. Masks will usually limit mucosal irritation if you are exposed to ash for a short time, but do not provide as good protection as an air filter mask.
If there is volcanic ash in the outside air, you should stay indoors as much as possible to avoid adverse effects.

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Prepare communication equipment. Ensure all vehicles receiving information from local authorities are in good condition and ready to operate. Use the television or radio to listen to volcano updates or evacuation announcements. Memorize the sound of disaster sirens, and listen carefully. You need to listen for the sound of sirens to know when the volcano starts erupting.

The course of action when a volcano erupts

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Evacuate when required. You must listen carefully to instructions and warnings from local authorities and emergency services. Remember that emergency service personnel are well trained to deal with this situation, and they are certainly more informed than you are. If you are told to evacuate, do so quickly, calmly, and follow their instructions.

When evacuating, bring only essentials such as essentials and car emergency kits. Be sure to bring prescription medication with you for at least a week.
If you have time, you should close the gas, electric and water valves in the house.
You should also unplug all electrical equipment before you leave to reduce the risk of electric shock when the power is restored to the house.
If you are evacuating by vehicle, it is recommended to follow the designated roads, but traffic jams may be possible. Other roads may be barricaded, so follow the guided route.
If you must evacuate, avoid lowland areas and valleys. It is very likely that mud will drift to these areas. When you reach the river, look at the headwaters before crossing. Do not cross if you see mud drifting down. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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How to handle livestock and pets. In the event that homes and properties are directly impacted by volcanoes, domestic animals will not be able to escape. Do what you can to keep them safe. You should know most emergency shelters will not have room for animals. If you plan to bring pets, you need to plan ahead, bring enough water and food for them.

Place livestock in an enclosed area or transport them as far away as possible.

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Enter a shelter if you are asked not to leave the house. If they don’t ask for an evacuation but tell them to stay indoors, watch TV or listen to the radio so you can act quickly. When sheltering indoors, you should take some measures to ensure your safety and health. First, close and reinforce all windows and doors. Close the fireplace air intake, and turn off the water heater, air conditioner, and all fans.

Fill sinks, bathtubs, and other containers with water for emergency use for sanitation (use sparingly) or drinking water filtration. You can also get drinking water from the water heater.
Gather all family members into a room that is above ground level and has no windows.
Listen for updates but stay indoors until told it is safe to go outside. This is the best way to avoid respiratory damage from volcanic ash.

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Helping others. Whether you are asked to evacuate or seek shelter, keep an eye on those around you when they need help. If you have neighbors who are elderly, disabled, or infants, do whatever you can to help them. If you have to evacuate and the car still has a seat, invite an elderly neighbor to come with you. If you’re sheltering at home, invite them in, or help them find a safe haven in their home. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Protect yourself if you have to leave the house. You should avoid leaving the house unless it is safe to do so outside. However, if you need to go out to help others, find ways to protect yourself as much as possible. Wear eye protection, and a respirator to protect your lungs. Wear clothing that covers your body as much as possible, and wrap a towel around your head. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Goggles and swimwear can also provide eye and breath protection if that’s all you have. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
After going out into the ash-filled outdoors and returning home, take off your outermost layer of clothing. Clothes that have been covered with ash will be very difficult to remove.
If you need to go outside, remove your contact lenses and wear regular glasses. If volcanic ash gets on the inside of a contact lens, it will cut into the eye and scratch the cornea.

Advice

There should be a landline phone in the shelter room. You will use your landline phone to notify emergency services of any problems you have.
Use landlines only in emergencies to avoid system congestion.
Notify local authorities if you see a broken utility pipe.
Check the status of friends and neighbors. This is important if you know they may need assistance or have special needs.

Warning

Volcanic ash is very dangerous to respiratory health. It affects everyone, especially those with breathing problems such as asthma and bronchitis.
Avoid sight-seeing! Not only is this dangerous for you, but for those watching the eruption, it also interferes with the work of emergency services personnel. Always stay away from restricted access areas.

Things you need

Car essentials and emergency kits
Map
Communication equipment (telephone, radio)
Flashlight
Towels etc.. to seal gaps in the house
Means of transport for evacuation
Animal and pet cages
Car’key
Food and drink

Steps