Volcanic Eruption Survival

WHAT A VOLCANO THROWS AT YOU 1. PYROCLASTIC FLOW — a superheated cloud of gas, ash and rock racing down the slope at 100+ mph. Lethal. Evacuate the moment authorities warn; you cannot outrun it across the ground. 2. ASHFALL — grit that collapses roofs, chokes engines, irritates lungs and shuts aviation. Heavy, weight-bearing ash is a roof-crush risk. 3. VOLCANIC GASES — sulfur dioxide, CO2 (heavier than air, pools in low areas) and hydrogen sulfide; invisible but can sicken or kill. 4. LAHAR (mudflow) — melted snow/ice + ash rushing down valleys; behaves like a flash flood of cement. IF A VOLCANO IS ACTIVE NEAR YOU 1. Follow evacuation orders IMMEDIATELY — flows and lahars move far faster than they tell you. Get to high ground AWAY from drainage valleys. 2. Avoid low-lying areas and valleys where gases pool and lahars flow. DURING ASHFALL 3. Stay indoors with windows/doors closed; damp towels under gaps. 4. Cover nose/mouth with an N95 mask or damp cloth — ash is abrasive and irritates lungs; people with asthma need rescue inhalers handy. 5. Do not drive — ash destroys engines and makes roads slick as ice after rain. If caught driving, pull off and STOP; turn off engine to avoid sucking ash. 6. Clear ash from roofs (carefully — it is heavy when wet) to prevent collapse; sweep, do not hose (hose turns it to sludge). 7. Protect water supplies; cover cisterns/gutters. AFTER - Keep listening on a battery/hand-crank radio; secondary eruptions are common. - Wait for the all-clear before returning; breathing ash is not just messy, repeated exposure scars lungs.