“Some of Yellowstone’s geysers have been more active lately reigniting fears that the massive supervolcano will erupt. The sudden bursts of steaming hot water highlight the dramatic nature of Yellowstone while reminding us we are all at the caldera’s mercy.” . . . (more)
“Dr Kaku told Fox News: “Forget the image of Yogi Bear representing Yellowstone.
“We’re talking about a sleeping Godzilla underneath Yellowstone, that if it erupts in a maximum eruption called Category 8, it can literally tear the guts out of the United States of America.
“Instead of having 50 states of the Union, we would have 30 states of the Union.“”
“The big question on peoples mind is where is it safe if Yellowstone Supervolcano erupts? During the eruption, people would need to evacuate the western part of the United States and head towards the eastern seaboard to ensure their safety.”
“Over the past 2.1 million years Yellowstone volcano has had three immense explosive volcanic eruptions that blanketed parts of the North American continent with ash and debris. “
…. useless graphic in the undated article:
But that “not in a million years” pep talk on the USGS page differs from what they tell Washington.
Look at this 2014 paper from the USGS’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory –
Protocols for Geologic Hazards Response by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory –PDF
(from page 7:) “As needed, YVO will be an advisor within the National Incident Management System. The YVO Branch within the Plans Section of the Incident Command will consist of two prescribed groups (Monitoring and Information). The two groups and their subsidiary teams form a scalable system to respond to a variety of scenarios of geologic and volcanic unrest. The YVO response will be led by the YVO Branch Chief (also known as the Scientist-in-Charge) with the assistance of group supervisors and team leaders.
Formal alerts and information statements will be issued by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with YVO member agencies and through standard telephone and Internet “calldown” lists. External communications will be coordinated by the public information team leader, in association with any Joint Information Center set up through the Incident Command. Internal communications will be handled through a computerized log system that can be used as an archive for public and non-public documents, and to provide a forum for discussion by observatory personnel and collaborators.”
See how they separate information into “public and non-public” groups? Like they’re going to tell the public the truth about the volcano that’s been a bucking bronco this week. (opinion) – FC
In 2006 USGS came up with a color coded Alert-Notification System [PDF] – it may or may not be upgraded to include a cell phone robo-call Alert.
“That’s according to the South African news website Praag, which said that the African National Congress was offered $10 billion a year for 10 years if it would build temporary housing for Americans in case of an eruption.”
“. . . it was only in the 1960s that scientists realized the scale of the volcano – it’s 44 miles across – and not until the 1980s did they grasp that this thing is fully alive and still threatens to erupt catastrophically.“
In NONE of these planning papers we read from FEMA and emergency planners do they ever take into account traffic jams which render evacuation IMPOSSIBLE. The US western states are sparsely populated and roads cannot handle millions of cars all headed east at the same time.
“In the Houston area, the muddled flight from the city killed almost as many people as Rita did. an estimated 2.5 million people hit the road ahead of the storm’s arrival, creating some of the most insane gridlock in U.S. history. More than 100 evacuees died in the exodus.“
What do these “planners” think will happen to people in cars stuck in remote countryside and farmlands do when rocks are raining down and the sky is darkened by billowing ash clouds? Does it cross their minds there might be raving mad panic in a traffic jam of millions? If an eruption entails earthquakes will there even be electricity to power gas station pumps to enable people to flee? In Rita the gas stations were out of commission.
“Park officials have stated that Yellowstone volcano’s Steamboat Geyser is erupting at unprecedented rates, matching decades-old records for the amount of scolding water spewed from the ground. The Steamboat Geyser continues to be an enigma, one in which sparks fears of a massive supervolcano eruption.” (more)
