Volcano Preparedness
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British Columbians should be prepared for a volcanic eruption because one is likely to happen anywhere on the North American Plate almost 100% of the time, but most probably wouldn’t affect us much depending on their distance to us. The volcanoes we don’t have to worry about are in BC, where the chances of possible eruptions are very rare.
Emergency Management BC monitors volcanic action and activity and weather patterns around and inside the southern Washington State to watch for volcanic eruptions. Unfortunately, none of the volcanoes in BC currently have been monitored enough to provide information about how active the magma system is. Volcanoes everywhere else on the North American Plate is monitored by scientists and volcanologists closely, especially places such as Iceland, the Cascade Mountain Range, and Alaska because they have the most possible chance of eruptions.
There is no set time between volcanic eruptions (could be between decades to thousands of years), and people usually receive lots of warning signs before a volcano erupts. Warning signs could be magma rising or smoke coming out of a volcano.
Emergency response organizations and authorities have emergency plans and routes written down and planned, but people would most likely be unprepared for a volcanic eruption if one ever happened because those kinds of events are extremely rare in BC.
An Emergency/Survival/Disaster Kit should include:
Emergency Management BC states–
“Learn about the volcano hazards that could affect you at home, work or school.
Practice a home evacuation.
Plan what you and your family will do if you have to leave home.
Keep an emergency kit ready.
Participate in community emergency preparedness activities.”
From the research gathered, BC is not ready for a volcanic eruption because BC citizens do not realize the hazards of a volcanic eruption and they have not experienced it (most) and do not think about it since volcanic eruptions haven’t affected BC for a long time. British Columbians do not realize that volcanoes along the Ring Of Fire and elsewhere can damage our towns if the eruption is big enough, and around us. A volcanic eruption could happen at any time because volcanoes have no particular eruption pattern and extreme events like volcanic eruptions don’t usually happen in BC. In that instance, BC is not ready for a volcanic eruption. Most of the people studying volcanoes and citizens in BC do not have preparedness kits and plans if there is an eruption, so they are not prepared, you are probably not prepared, and BC is not prepared!
That is all how BC is prepared for a volcanic eruption, so hopefully in the event of one, we wouldn’t panic and cause chaos rather than evacuating orderly. It is always good to be prepared for something than not, because you never know when a volcanic eruption may happen! Being prepared, having emergency routes and plans, and following authorities in the time of crisis would at least keep us alive during a volcanic eruption near us.
Emergency Management BC monitors volcanic action and activity and weather patterns around and inside the southern Washington State to watch for volcanic eruptions. Unfortunately, none of the volcanoes in BC currently have been monitored enough to provide information about how active the magma system is. Volcanoes everywhere else on the North American Plate is monitored by scientists and volcanologists closely, especially places such as Iceland, the Cascade Mountain Range, and Alaska because they have the most possible chance of eruptions.
There is no set time between volcanic eruptions (could be between decades to thousands of years), and people usually receive lots of warning signs before a volcano erupts. Warning signs could be magma rising or smoke coming out of a volcano.
Emergency response organizations and authorities have emergency plans and routes written down and planned, but people would most likely be unprepared for a volcanic eruption if one ever happened because those kinds of events are extremely rare in BC.
An Emergency/Survival/Disaster Kit should include:
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Portable radio and extra batteries (battery powered or hand crank)
- First aid kit and manual
- Emergency food and water (up to 72 hours)
- Can opener (Non-Electric/Manual)
- Essential medicines
- Dust masks and goggles for every member of the household (this is in the case of a volcanic eruption, but may be used for other things, too)
- Sturdy shoes
- Extra set(s) of clothing and work gloves
- ID and other important documents (credit cards, birth certificates…etc.)
- Money
- Personal hygiene items (tissues, wet-wipes…etc.)
- Rope(s)
- Blankets and sleeping bags
- Plastic bags (sanitation, waste, or other)
Emergency Management BC states–
“Learn about the volcano hazards that could affect you at home, work or school.
Practice a home evacuation.
Plan what you and your family will do if you have to leave home.
Keep an emergency kit ready.
Participate in community emergency preparedness activities.”
From the research gathered, BC is not ready for a volcanic eruption because BC citizens do not realize the hazards of a volcanic eruption and they have not experienced it (most) and do not think about it since volcanic eruptions haven’t affected BC for a long time. British Columbians do not realize that volcanoes along the Ring Of Fire and elsewhere can damage our towns if the eruption is big enough, and around us. A volcanic eruption could happen at any time because volcanoes have no particular eruption pattern and extreme events like volcanic eruptions don’t usually happen in BC. In that instance, BC is not ready for a volcanic eruption. Most of the people studying volcanoes and citizens in BC do not have preparedness kits and plans if there is an eruption, so they are not prepared, you are probably not prepared, and BC is not prepared!
That is all how BC is prepared for a volcanic eruption, so hopefully in the event of one, we wouldn’t panic and cause chaos rather than evacuating orderly. It is always good to be prepared for something than not, because you never know when a volcanic eruption may happen! Being prepared, having emergency routes and plans, and following authorities in the time of crisis would at least keep us alive during a volcanic eruption near us.
Relations
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All of this relates to us because we might die if we weren’t prepared! Kids, adults, and seniors in our community would all be affected directly or indirectly if a volcanic eruption happened anywhere on the North American Plate, no matter how far the volcano is. As kids, we do this Inquiry project to find out how prepared BC is prepared for a volcanic eruption, and learn more about volcanoes at the same time. Seems like killing two birds with one stone, right? Learning about how volcanoes work is interesting, while finding information about the emergency preparedness of our province also gives us more insight on what we should improve to achieve a better community and province.