|
This document has been written as a joint initiative between
IVHHN and the United States Geological Survey (USGS)
and is a sponsored by the Interanational Association of Volcanology
and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI),
the Cities and Volcanoes Commission (CaV)
and the New Zealand Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences
(GNS).
The pamphlet version of this document can be downloaded here as a PDF file or you can download the unformatted pdf version.
Contents
Back
to Guidelines and Databases index
This document aims to promote the safety of those who experience
volcanic ashfall. It details procedures to follow if warning
of a volcanic ashfall is given, recommends what to do during
ashfall, and what methods are most effective for cleaning
up volcanic ash after the event.
A sustained ash fall may keep people housebound for hours
or even days. Keep these items in your home in case of an
ashfall:
- Dust masks and eye protection. (See IVHHN Recommended
Masks document)
- Enough drinking water for at least 72 hours (one gallon
per person per day).
- Enough non-perishable food for at least 72 hours for family
and pets.
- Plastic wrap (to keep ash out of electronics).
- Battery-operated radio and extra batteries.
- Lanterns or torches (flashlights) and extra batteries.
- If cold, extra wood for a fireplace or stove.
- If cold, extra blankets and warm clothing.
- Extra stocks of medication for both family and pets.
- First aid kit.
- Cleaning supplies (broom, vacuum cleaner & bags/filters,
shovels etc.).
- Small amount of money (ATM machines may not be working).
- Consider that you could be stuck in your vehicle, so store
emergency supplies in your vehicle too.
- Close doors and windows.
- Place damp towels at door thresholds and other draft sources.
Tape draughty windows.
- Protect sensitive electronics and do not uncover until
the environment is totally ash-free.
- Disconnect drainpipes/downspouts from gutters to stop
drains clogging, but allowing ash and water to empty from
gutters onto the ground.
- If you use a rainwater collection system for your water
supply, disconnect the tank prior to ash falling.
- If you have chronic bronchitis, emphysema or asthma, stay
inside and avoid unnecessary exposure to the ash.
- Ensure livestock have clean food and water.
- If you have children, know your school's emergency plan
and have indoor games and activities ready.
- Don't panic - stay calm.
- Stay indoors.
- If outside, seek shelter (e.g. car or building).
- Use a mask, handkerchief or cloth over your nose and mouth.
- If warning is given before ashfall starts, go home from
work.
- If at work when ashfall starts, stay indoors until the
ash has settled.
- Do not tie up phone lines with non-emergency calls.
- Listen to your local radio for information on the eruption
and cleanup plans.
- Do not wear contact lenses as these will result in corneal
abrasion.
- If there is ash in your water, let it settle and then
use the clear water. If there is a lot of ash in the water
supply, do not use your dishwasher or washing machine. Water
contaminated by ash will usually make drinking water unpalatable
before it presents a health risk.
- You may eat vegetables from the garden, but wash them
first.
Volcanic ash is a great nuisance and gets everywhere in the
house and office, including inside televisions, computers,
cameras and other valuable equipment, where it can cause irreparable
damage. Ash is different from ordinary house dust. Its sharp,
crystalline structure causes it to scratch and abrade surfaces
when it is removed by wiping or brushing. In wet weather the
ash deposits are dampened down and the air can be clear, but
in drier weather ash can easily be stirred up and remobilised
by wind and traffic. As a result suspended dust levels become
much higher and can be at levels potentially harmful to health.
Rainfall and wind are effective in removing the ash and grass
and other plants will eventually bind it to the soil, but
with large ash falls this process is too slow and the ash
must be cleaned up and taken away from populated areas. In
addition, wind may also bring ash into areas which were previously
clean so ash may be present in the environment for months
or even years following an eruption.
Those undertaking clean-up operations should always wear
effective dust masks (see IVHHN Recommended Masks document).
In fine-ash environments, wear goggles or corrective eyeglasses
instead of contact lenses to protect eyes from irritation.
Lightly water down the ash deposits before they are removed
by shovelling, being careful not to excessively wet the deposits
on roofs, causing excess loading and danger of collapse. Dry
brushing can produce very high exposure levels and should
be avoided. Use extra precaution on ladders and roofs. The
ash makes surfaces much more slippery, consequently many people
have died from falls while cleaning ash from their roofs.
Be aware of the extra load caused by standing on an already
overloaded roof - tread carefully. It is preferable to clean
roofs before more than a few centimetres of ash has accumulated.
Where possible use a harness.
Keep ash out of buildings, machinery, vehicles, downspouts,
water supplies, and wastewater systems (for example, storm
drains) as much as possible. The most effective method to
prevent ash-induced damage to machinery is to shut down, close
off or seal equipment until ash is removed from the immediate
environment, though this may not be practical in all cases.
Coordinate clean-up activities with your neighbours and community-wide
operations. After an ash fall, remove ash from roofs in a
timely manner to prevent streets from being repetitively cleaned.
- Put on a recommended mask before starting to clean. If
you don't have one, use a wet cloth. Wearing protective
eye wear (such as goggles) during clean-up is also advised
in dry conditions.
- Moisten the ash with a sprinkler, before attempting to
clean. This will help to stop the wind remobilizing it.
- Use shovels for removing the bulk of thick deposits of
ash (over 1 cm or so), stiff brooms will be required to
remove lesser amounts.
- Place the ash into heavy duty plastic bags, or onto trucks
if available.
- Since most roofs cannot support more than four inches
(10 cm) of wet ash, keep roofs free of thick accumulation.
- Volcanic ash is slippery. Use caution when climbing on
ladders and roofs.
- Guttering systems clog very easily so, if fitted underneath
your roof, sweep away from the gutters.
- Cut grass and hedges only after rain or light sprinkling
and bag clippings.
- Seek advice from public officials regarding disposal of
volcanic ash in your community. In most cases, ash should
be separated from normal rubbish for collection for disposal
at a designated location-mixing ash with normal rubbish
can result in damage to collection vehicles and take up
space in landfills.
- Dampen ash in yards and streets to reduce suspension of
ash, however try to use water sparingly - do not soak the
ash. Widespread use of water for clean-up may deplete public
water supplies. Follow requests from public officials regarding
water use during cleanup operations.
- Remove outdoor clothing before entering a building.
- Do not soak the ash as it will cake into a hard mass,
making cleanup more difficult. On roofs the added weight
of the water will increase the risk of roof collapse.
- Do not dump the ash in gardens or on the roadside.
- Do not wash the ash into the guttering, sewers or storm
drains. (It can damage waste water treatment systems and
clog pipes).
- Do not drive unless absolutely necessary, driving stirs
up the ash. Furthermore, ash is harmful to vehicles.
In general, surfaces should be vacuumed to remove as much
ash as possible from carpets, furniture, office equipment,
appliances, and other items. Portable vacuum systems equipped
with high-efficiency particulate filtering systems are recommended
whenever possible. The severity of ash intrusion depends on
the integrity of windows and entrances, the air intake features,
and the care exercised to control the transport of ash into
a building or home via shoes and clothing. Care should also
be taken to avoid further contamination during the emptying,
cleaning, and maintenance of vacuum equipment. In hot climates,
where windows are permanently open, or absent, clean up of
houses may be needed several times per day. Clean up inside
should only be undertaken after the outside areas have been
well cleared.
- Clean your house when public-works crews are cleaning
the areas outside your house as a co-ordinated approach.
- Put on your mask before starting to clean. If you don't
have one, use a wet cloth.
- Ensure good ventilation by opening all doors and windows
before you start to clean.
- Only use one entrance to the building while cleaning to
ensure occupants do not bring in ash into clean areas.
- Use a dustless method of cleaning such as washing with
water and an effective detergent/wetting agent. Damp rag
techniques or vacuuming should be used whenever possible.
After vacuuming, carpets and upholstery may be cleaned with
a detergent shampoo. Avoid excess rubbing action because
the sharp ash particles may cut textile fibres.
- Glass, porcelain enamel and acrylic surfaces may be scratched
if wiped too vigorously. Use a detergent soaked cloth or
sponge and dab rather than wipe.
- High-shine wood finishes will be dulled by the fine grit.
Vacuum surfaces and then blot with a wet cloth. A tack cloth
used by furniture refinishers should also work well.
- Ash-coated fabrics should either be rinsed under running
water and then washed carefully, or they can be taken outside
and beaten to remove the ash.
- Soiled clothing will require extra detergent. Wash small
loads of clothing, using plenty of water so the clothes
will have room to move freely in the water. Brush or shake
clothes before washing.
- Moisten thick ash deposits on hard floors and place in
bags (avoid sweeping dry ash).
- Use a damp mop or wet cloth to clean hard floors.
- Clean your computer, TV and radio equipment using a vacuum
cleaner or compressed air (see USGS
guidelines on looking after electronics following an
ash fall). Switch off the main power supply to the machine
before carrying out this operation.
- For several months after an ash fall, filters may need
replacing often. Air conditioner and furnace filters need
careful attention. Clean refrigerator air intakes. Clean
any surface that may blow air and recirculate the ash. Stove
fans and vents should be cleaned thoroughly.
- Keep children indoors and discourage play in dusty settings.
- Keep pets indoors. If pets go out, brush them before letting
them indoors.
- Do not use floor sweepers with side brushes to clear aisles
and floors because they may re-entrain dust particles into
the air.
- Do not clean by blowing with compressed air or dry sweeping
as ash will be remobilised into the air.
- Do not use fans or electric clothes dryers which might
remobilise ash.
- If possible, avoid driving as ash is harmful to vehicles,
the roads may be slippery and driving suspends ash into
the air which causes low visibility and may be harmful or
irritating to others.
- If driving is crucial, drive slowly, use headlights and
ample windscreen fluid. Using wipers on dry ash may scratch
the windscreen. In heavier ashfall driving should only be
undertaken in an emergency. Use water bottles and a cloth
to clean the windscreen as required, this may be every few
tens of metres.
- Change oil and oil filters frequently (every 50-100 miles
in heavy dust; every 500-1000 miles in light dust).
- Do not drive without an air filter. If you can not change
it, clean it by blowing air from the inside out. Do not
change it until you notice a loss of power to the engine
as a dirty filter is more effective than a clean one.
- Cleaning your car - clean ash from inside your engine,
trunk/boot and spare tyre storage area as well as the seating
area. Brushing ash off the car can cause scratching.
- Have a service garage clean wheel brake assemblies every
50-100 miles for very severe road conditions, or every 200-500
miles for heavy dust conditions. The brake assemblies should
be cleaned with compressed air.
- Have a service garage clean alternators with compressed
air after heavy accumulation, every 500 to 1000 miles, or
after severe dust exposure.
- Clean the vehicle, including the engine, radiator, and
other essential parts daily, if necessary, using water to
flush the ash.
- Wash the engine compartment with a garden hose or steam
cleaner. Be sure to seal off air intakes and electrical
components before cleaning.
Further information on the logistics of cleaning up volcanic
ash, applicable to companies, larger organisations and local
governments, can be found on the United States Geological
Survey website, at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ash.
These guidelines have been written by amalgamating advice
from the following sources:
- "Resident's guide to the state of the Soufrière Hills
volcano following the scientific assessment of July 1998
and the dangers of volcanic ash with tips for cleaning up
ash." The Emergency Department, St John's, Montserrat, West
Indies. August 1998.
- "Volcanic ashfall. How to be prepared for an ashfall."
FEMA/USGS publication. November 1999.
- "Ash particles and home clean-up problems; advice from
the University of Idaho." Mt. St. Helens Technical Information
Network. Bulletin 7. Federal Coordinating Network, May 1980.
- "Health criteria for reoccupation of ashfall areas in
Montserrat." Baxter, P J and Maynard, R L, October 1998.
- "The mitigation of ashfall damage to public facilities:
lessons learned from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens,
Washington." Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region
X, Wm. H. Mayer, Regional Director. 1984.
- "Preventive Health Measures in Volcanic Eruptions." Baxter,
PJ. American Journal of Public Health 76 (1986) Supplement:
84-90.
Acknowledgements
This document was written by Dr Claire Horwell (University
of Cambridge, UK) and by the United States Geological Survey.
IVHHN is grateful to the Leverhulme Trust, UK, for funding
associated meetings.
IVHHN is also grateful to the following people for reviewing
and commenting on the document:
Dr Bob Maynard, Department of Health, UK Government, London,
UK.
Steve Brantley, Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, United States
Geological Survey, USA.
Dr David Johnston, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences,
Wellington, New Zealand.
Scott Barnard, Canterbury University, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Dr Peter Baxter, Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge,
UK.
|
