volcanic eruption in japan

MOUNT ONTAKE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

MOUNT ONTAKE: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

MOUNT ONTAKEERUPTS AFTER 35 YEARS

OF DORMANCY

THE ERUPTION OCCURRED A LITTLE BEFORE NOON ON

SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

PHYSICAL IMPACTS

• With a sound likened to thunder, the 10,065 foot (3,320 m) high volcano spewed large white plumes of gas and ash high into the sky and blanketed the surrounding area with ash.

LOCAL IMPACTS

The mountain is a popular climbing destination, and at least 250 people were initially trapped on the slopes.

At least 30 were killed; most made their way down by Saturday night, but the injured, unable to descend the 10,062-foot mountain on their own, stayed in mountain lodges,

THIS STORY IS UNFINISHED

• On Sunday, a large plume of ash continued to rise from the ash-covered summit of Mount Ontake.

• A convoy of red fire trucks, sirens blaring, rescue workers on foot, and helicopters headed into the restricted zone around the mountain for search and rescue missions.

BACKGROUND

Natural Phenomena That Cause Disasters

Planet Earth’s heat flow causes movement of lithospheric plates, which causes sub-duction, which causes VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

ELEMENTS OF VOLCANIC HAZARDS AND RISK

HAZARDSHAZARDS

ELEMENTS OF RISK ELEMENTS OF RISK

EXPOSUREEXPOSURE

VULNERABILITYVULNERABILITY LOCATIONLOCATION

RISKRISK

VOLCANOES

PART OF THE PACIFIC “RING OF FIRE,” JAPAN HAS ACTIVE VOLCANOES AS A

RESULT OF COMPLEX SUBDUCTION OF THE PACIFIC PLATE BENEATH THE

EURASIAN PLATE

SOME OF THE 1,500 ACTIVE VOLCANOES ARE IN CHILE

SOME OF THE 1,500 ACTIVE VOLCANOES ARE IN CHILE

LATERAL BLAST

VOLCANIC

ERUPTIONS

VOLCANIC

ERUPTIONS

PYROCLASTIC FLOWS

FLYING DEBRIS

VOLCANIC ASH PLUME

LAVA FLOWS

LAHARS

TOXIC GASES

CAUSES OF RISK

CAUSES OF RISK

CASE HISTORIESCASE HISTORIES

VOLCANO HAZARDS CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS

• VERTICAL PLUME (can affect jet aircraft)

• ASH AND TEPHRA• LATERAL BLAST• PYROCLASTIC CLOUDS,

BURSTS, AND FLOWS

VOLCANO HAZARDS CAN HAVE FAR REACHING IMPACTS

• LAVA FLOWS• LAHARS (can bury villages)• EARTHQUAKES (related to

movement of lava)• “VOLCANIC WINTER” (causing

famine and mass extinctions)

A DISASTER is ---

--- the set of failures that overwhelm the capability of a community to respond without external help  when three continuums: 1)  people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) complex events (e.g., a volcanic eruption, …) intersect at a point in space and time.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is UN-PREPARED for what will likely happen, not to mention the low-probability of occurrence—high-probability of adverse consequences event.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is UN-PREPARED for what will likely happen from a “low-probability of occurrence—high-probability of adverse consequences” event.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community has NO DISASTER PLANNING SCENARIO or WARNING SYSTEM in place as a strategic framework for early threat identification and coordinated local, national, regional, and international countermeasures.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community LACKS THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND in a timely and effective manner to the full spectrum of expected and unexpected emergency situations.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is INEFFICIENT during recovery and reconstruction because it HAS NOT LEARNED from either the current experience or the cumulative prior experiences.

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A VOLCANO DISASTER IS

VOLCANO DISASTER RESILIENCE

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A VOLCANO DISASTER IS

VOLCANO DISASTER RESILIENCE

The keys to resilience: 1) know the eruptive history of your

region’s volcanoes,2) be prepared

3) have a warning system 4) evacuate

5) learn from the experience and start over

JAPAN’S

COMMUNITIES

JAPAN’S

COMMUNITIESDATA BASES AND INFORMATIONDATA BASES AND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS

• VOLCANO HAZARDS

• PEOPLE & BLDGS. • VULNERABILITY• LOCATION

VOLCANO RISK

RISK

ACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

GOAL: VOLCANO DISASTER RESILIENCE

• PREPAREDNESS• PROTECTION• EARLY WARNING• EMERGENCY RESPONSE• RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION

POLICY OPTIONS

TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING, FORECASTING, AND WARNING ARE VITAL FOR

SURVIVAL.

AIR AND LAND MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES ARE VITAL

.