VOLCANO SINABUNG ON NORTH SUMATRA INDONESIA ERUPTS November

VOLCANO SINABUNG ON NORTH SUMATRA, INDONESIA ERUPTS November 3, 2013 Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA

MOUNT SINABUNG: NOV. 3, 2013

UNTIL AUGUST, 2010, SINABUNG HAD BEEN INACTIVE FOR 400 YEARS The August eruption led to an evacuation of 30, 000 people

SEPTEMBER 2013 ERUPTION • An eruption in September 2013 also prompted an evacuation--about 3, 500 villagers lining within 3 km of the volcano.

OCTOBER 2013 ERUPTION • Another eruption on October 24 th also prompted an evacuation of about 3, 500 villagers lining within 2 -3 km of the volcano.

WHAT HAPPENED NOVEMBER 3 RD • The 8, 530 -foot-high mountain erupted early on Sunday, November 3 rd, sending a vertical ash plume 7, 000 feet into the air. • This eruption prompted an evacuation of 1, 500 people living within 3 km of the volcano.

INDONESIAN AUTHORITIES HAVE NOW INCREASED THE ALERT LEVEL

UNDERSTANDING EXPLOSIVE VOLCANOES

INDONESIA

INDONESIA’S VOLCANOES

VOLCANOES PART OF THE PACIFIC “RING OF FIRE, ” INDONESIA HAS 127 ACTIVE VOLCANOES AS A RESULT OF COMPLEX SUBDUCTION OF THE INDO-AUSTRALIA AND EURASIATECTONIC PLATES

542 OF THE 1, 500 ACTIVE VOLCANOES ARE LOCATED IN “RING OF FIRE”

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)

CAUSES OF RISK LATERAL BLAST PYROCLASTIC FLOWS FLYING DEBRIS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS CASE HISTORIES VOLCANIC ASH LAVA FLOWS LAHARS TOXIC GASES

VOLCANO RISK • VOLCANO HAZARDS • PEOPLE & BLDGS. • VULNERABILITY • LOCATION DATA BASES AND INFORMATION ACCEPTABLE RISK UNACCEPTABLE RISK INDONESIA’S GOAL: VOLCANO DISASTER RESILIENCE COMMUNITIES POLICY OPTIONS HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS • PREPAREDNESS • PROTECTION • EARLY WARNING • EMERGENCY RESPONSE • RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION

TOWARDS DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FOR VOLCANOES RISK ASSESSMENT • VULNERABILITY • COST • EXPOSURE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS • EVENT EXPECTED LOSS • BENEFIT • CONSEQUENCES POLICY ASSESSMENT POLICY ADOPTION

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

MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND WARNING SYSTEMS ARE A VITAL PART OF BECOMING RESILIENT

AIR AND LAND MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES ARE VITAL.