There are many types of volcanic hazards that come with an eruption.

The ONLY thing to do if you live

near a volcano is have an evacuation plan. Let others around you know about any activity you may know
about. Have emergency equipment such as food, water, flashlights, mask (something to cover your face
from ash) first aid. Always protect your head, find shelter inside, close windows doors, help others and
animals. Move to high ground if it's a mudslide. Surviving eruptions are mainly on what you do and learn
before the erWhat to do before, during, and after volcanic eruption?

by Dhani Anggara, MD

IndonesiaEnglish

As we all know, a volcano is a land form that has crater or vent where the magma or molten rock, pieces
of hot solid rock, and hot gases are formed inside the Earth when the upper crust or the lower crust
melts.

When that magma or molten rocks burst out through its crater, we call it lava and that happens during a
Volcanic Eruption– one of the natural disasters that people are afraid to encounter.

Thus, there are early warning signs when the volcano is about to erupt, this might be the rumbling
sounds, continuous emissions of steam, increasing temperature around the volcano that results
to withering of plants around and unusual behaviors of animals and earthquakes.

People who lives near a volcano must be aware that a volcanic eruption will bring so much danger to
them. So, it is important to know what to do before, during and after volcanic eruption.

What to do before volcanic eruptions:

1. Each one should be aware of the dangers that volcanic eruptions pose to lives and be prepared
to face whatever circumstances the eruption may bring.

2. Prepare all the necessary things to bring once evacuation is needed.

3. Store as much food, water, light sources and batteries that are very useful in case of emergency.

4. Prepare masks to cover nose and mouth for the ash falls of the volcano.

5. Safety of the kids first before anything else.

What to do during volcanic eruptions:

1. Avoid low-lying places because lava flows, and mud flows are more likely to pass here.

2. Seek cover in case of ash falls and rock falls and use masks to cover your nose and mouth and to
avoid breathing in the ashes.

3. If inside the house, close all doors and windows to avoid letting in the ashes.
 4. Always stay indoors and watch for your kids, they might be tempted to go out.

5. Stay in the evacuation center and wait for further instructions and do not leave until said so.

What to do after volcanic eruptions:

1. Go back to your house but leave your kids with someone who can take care of them while you
check your house.

2. When in your house, clean everything and check if there’s damages incurred. Use masks when
cleaning.

3. Wait for further announcements related to volcano activities.

4. Make sure that your house is still safe for all of you.

Specific tips for Travelers:

1. Don’t panic, you won’t be cool if you’re panic

There is no better time to stay cool other than when you are anticipating an event like a volcanic
eruption. Staying cool will help you survive because you will be able to think rationally. For those who
don’t know, most parts of Bali are still safe, just avoid East Bali area only (radius 12 km from Mount).
Disaster mitigation officials and a network of sirens are on standby near the Mountain’s foothills to
immediately advise the public and provide assistance if there is any sudden change in the alert status of
the volcano. Immigration officer giving services. They have a special counter to handle the immigration.
So for those who are overstay and wants to exit other then Ngurah Rai will be assisted. Think clearly,
read the situation, and plan your next acts.

2. Pay attention to reliable media only

Do not believe everything shared on social media, particularly those coming from unreliable source.
Conversely, avoid sharing unverified information which is potentially going to make public panic,
especially when you haven’t read the information yourself. If you want to get updated, pay attention the
reliable media only, such as reputable newspaper—online or offline, television, or radio.

3. Contact your airline provider

In case you need it, here’s some of airlines Bali office contact number:
Bali International Airport Ngurah Rai: +62 361 75 10 11
Air Asia: +62 804 1333 333
Air France: +62-361-289225
Air New Zealand: +62-361-756-170
Bali Qantas Airways: +62-361-289281
AWAIR: +62-361-750-666
British Airways: +62-361-288511
Cathay Pacific Airways: +62-361-286001
China Airlines: +62-361-754856
Continental Airlines: +62-361-287-775
Eva Air: +62-361-756-448
Garuda Indonesia: +62-361-283-354
JAL : +62-361-287-577
Lion Air: 0361-9351-011
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: +62-361-753-950
Lufthansa: +62-361-287-069
Malaysia Airlines: +62-361-288-716
Thai Airways International: +62-361-288-141
Singapore Airlines: +62-361-768-383

4. Always bring a pack of mask and sunglasses with you-and wear it

Inhaled, the tiny, glassy pyroclastic materials of the volcanic eruption will affect your respiratory system.
To avoid such problem, always bring a pack of masks with you. And don’t forget to wear it because it
wouldn’t help much if only stayed in your bag. Never hesitate to share spare masks to people who still
haven’t got one. Sunglasses will be useful too as the volcanic ash may reach your eyes.

5. Do not ride recklessly, because the road might be slippery

Since the pyroclastic materials of the volcano are fine-grained, the road covered by them will be
slippery. (And no one will bother to put “the road is slippery” sign.) It’s going to be like you are riding or
driving on a wet dirt road. Besides, the rainy season has come. The volcanic ash showered by the rain
will be way more slippery. Therefore, it is advisable for you to lose your accelerator a little bit and drive
slowly. Speed recommendation is 55 km/hr.

uption so good luck if you live near a volcano.

Volcanic Hazards

Volcanoes can be exciting and fascinating, but also very dangerous. Any kind of volcano is capable of
creating harmful or deadly phenomena, whether during an eruption or a period of quiescence.
Understanding what a volcano can do is the first step in mitigating volcanic hazards, but it is important
to remember that even if scientists have studied a volcano for decades, they do not necessarily know
everything it is capable of. Volcanoes are natural systems, and always have some element of
unpredictability.

Lava Flow
Lava is molten rock that flows out of a volcano or volcanic vent. Depending on its composition and
temperature, lava can be very fluid or very sticky (viscous). Fluid flows are hotter and move the fastest;
they can form streams or rivers, or spread out across the landscape in lobes. Viscous flows are cooler
and travel shorter distances, and can sometimes build up into lava domes or plugs; collapses of flow
fronts or domes can form pyroclastic density currents (discussed later).

Most lava flows can be easily avoided by a person on foot, since they don't move much faster than
walking speed, but a lava flow usually cannot be stopped or diverted. Because lava flows are extremely
hot - between 1,000-2,000°C (1,800 - 3,600° F) - they can cause severe burns and often burn down
vegetation and structures. Lava flowing from a vent also creates enormous amounts of pressure, which
can crush or bury whatever survives being burned.

Pyroclastic Density Currents

Pyroclastic Flows

Pyroclastic flow at Mount St. Helens, Washington, August 7, 1980. Image by USGS. Enlarge Image

Pyroclastic Density Currents

Pyroclastic Density Currents

Pyroclastic density currents are an explosive eruptive phenomenon. They are mixtures of pulverized
rock, ash, and hot gases, and can move at speeds of hundreds of miles per hour. These currents can be
dilute, as in pyroclastic surges, or concentrated, as in pyroclastic flows. They are gravity-driven, which
means that they flow down slopes.

Lahars

Lahars are a specific kind of mudflow made up of volcanic debris. They can form in a number of
situations: when small slope collapses gather water on their way down a volcano, through rapid melting
of snow and ice during an eruption, from heavy rainfall on loose volcanic debris, when a volcano erupts
through a crater lake, or when a crater lake drains because of overflow or wall collapse.

Positive effects of volcanic eruption:

Fertile soil:
When volcanoes explode they bring with them nutrients from the ground. These nutrients are very
beneficial for agriculture. You can see a lot of human settlements close to volcanoes and this is because
the soils around volcanoes are rich and ideal for growing a number of crops. This is why humans have
risHelps economies grow:
Volcanoes provide fertile soil which then translates to more produce which translates to more money
coming into an economy. Volcanoes also bring in a ton of tourism interest to a place. Volcanic eruptions
aren’t always catastrophic, there are smaller explosions that don’t affect the surrounding area much or
cause destruction to the settlements around. However, these minor explosions do attract tourists. Even
dormant volcanoes bring in a lot of tourists. Tourism brings in income to these areas and thereby helps
in making the economy stronger.

Opportunities for producing Geothermal power:

The areas around active volcanoes provide opportunities to create geo thermal plants. These
geothermal plants are run by super heating water underground close to where magma resides. The
water is sometimes heated in temperatures of up-to 1000 degree Celsius and this super-heated water
which is in other words steam is then used to run turbines that are connected to turbines which are
connected to dynamos to generate power. In countries like ice land, geo thermal power is responsible
for generating 80% of the entire grids power.

Maintaining the Planets balance:

Mother nature has her own ways of balancing the planet and keeping it sustainable. Volcanic eruptions
are one of the ways through which the earth balances itself. All land mass on earth was created by
volcanic eruptions. Volcanoes also cooled the planet when It was formed. Volcanoes have also produced
most of earth’s current atmosphere. Without these processes the earth can’t keep itself fresh and
preserve life as we know it.

ked living close to volcanoes for centuries and still continue doing so.

Negative effects of volcanic eruption:

Large scale destruction:

A volcanic eruption causes large scale destruction to the surrounding area. There is lot of damage to
property and after big eruptions the surrounding area becomes unusable for a very long time. There is
also considerable loss to both human and animal life. Severe volcanic eruptions have been known to
bring down entire towns and cities. There is also the flow of lava, which when people come into contact
with kills them almost instantly. Volcanoes also don’t give enough time for people to react. There is not
much warning which is a cause for concern.

Volcanic ash:
The after effects of volcanic eruptions are also bad. After volcanic eruptions occur there is a large
amount of volcanic ash that can envelop the surrounding area. This volcanic ash is very dense and
creates unbreathable air. People who survived the explosions are known to have perished by suffocating
after the explosion by just staying in the surrounding area. This isn’t any different for animals which also
suffer from the bad quality of air. The flowing lava and other conditions also leave these areas
uninhabitable for quite some time. Sometimes volcanic eruptions leave areas unusable for many
lifetimes.

Lahars:
Volcanic ash which when mixed with water or snow also tends to create large mud slides known as
lahars. These mud slides are sometime large enough to envelop entire settlements and bury them to the
ground. There is evidence of this in history when ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum which were
twin cities got buried after a huge volcanic eruption.