Submitted by Federal Way Emergency Management
In Washington, May has been declared Volcano Awareness Month by Gov. Christine Gregoire.
The declaration might have something to do with the fact that Mount St. Helens is an active volcano that erupted in Washington in 1980, sending a massive ash cloud 80,000 feet into the sky and drifting as far away as the East Coast. Or, it could be the fact that the Cascade Range in our area is host to five active volcanoes: Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak and Mount Rainier, which are all located within what is referred to as the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”
The Ring of Fire is a 40,000-kilometer area within the Pacific, stretching from New Zealand, north along the eastern edge of Asia, across to Alaska then southward through the Cascade Range and down to South America. The area holds 75 percent of the world’s dormant and active volcanoes. In the Northwest, Mount Rainier is the closest volcano to Federal Way in which a substantial eruption could send debris and mud flowing down rivers and valleys all the way to Puget Sound.
The primary threats volcanoes pose to life and property in our area comes from ash clouds and lahars. You might recall seeing news coverage of the ash cloud caused by the eruption of Mount St. Helens and how even though the cloud began its descent early in the day, some areas experienced periods of almost total darkness due to the thickness of the ash.
Your primary defense is staying inside, sealing areas that may let ash in, until the air clears. For several days afterward, you may be instructed to don a breathing mask like the ones you may have seen being worn to protect folks from the swine flu. Difficulty with breathing may continue for many days after an eruption for those with asthma or other medical conditions. Don’t forget that pets will also be affected, so bring them indoors as well.
Lahars, in more common terms, are also referred to as landslides, mudslides, debris flow and mud flow. In addition to volcanic eruption, lahars can be triggered through earthquakes, heavier-than-usual rains or a quick snow thaw after a significant snowfall season. In the most dramatic cases, lahars can travel to speeds in excess of 70 mph and stretch several hundred miles. The primary defense for lahars is heeding the call by emergency personnel to evacuate.
Unlike so many other environmental hazards, volcanoes do tend to give us warning signs through seismic activity, such as we witnessed with Mount St. Helens in the months and days preceding the eruption. These signs, along with the monitoring of activity by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other organizations, provide us advance notice.
Residents and business operators in Federal Way would additionally be given emergency information and instructions through the mass notification system, CodeRed. CodeRed was jointly purchased by the City of Federal Way, Federal Way Public Schools, Lakehaven Utility District and South King Fire and Rescue to provide a rapid means of notifying and providing information to the public in times of emergency or disaster.
If your residential phone number is published, it is automatically added to the CodeRed system. If you have an unlisted number or would prefer to use a cell number, you need to provide contact information through the city’s Web site at www.cityoffederalway.com/prepare. Likewise, businesses need to register numbers through the city’s Web site.
