This report was originally published by Tess Pennington at Ready Nutrition
Tess is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint: A Step-By-Step Guide To Prepare For Any Disaster
Underneath the quiet nature preserve of Yellowstone lies the most powerful and largest supervolcano on the planet. The fear of it erupting in our lifetime has put many on high alert, and recently, the Steamboat Geyser of Yellowstone gave another indication that the area is under strain.
‘More than 20 police, fire, and rescue vehicles descended upon the area around Yellowstone supervolcano this week to prepare for what could be a “life or death” emergency. Earlier this week, it was reported that there were a series of eruptions at the Steamboat Geyser, the worlds tallest and active geyser and they are expecting more minor eruptions to come.
Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs confirmed that there could be a supervolcano eruption imminently – and that they were putting themselves through their paces so that they were ready for any eventuality.’
Steamboat Geyser, Yellowstone
Seismologists who have monitored the area have warned for years that the area is under strain and have observed deformation in rocks occurring under Yellowstone. This deformation causes a change in pressure and magma underneath the surface.
In fact, last month, the same geyser produced similar activity giving cause for concern. Dr. Wendy Stovall, the deputy scientist in charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, a branch of the United States Geological Survey, said, “There is a lot of seismicity, or earthquake activity, and deformation around the geyser basin.” She also said, there is no cause for concern at this time. “Volcanoes all over the world have hydrothermal systems. “Because all the water goes away from the heat coming up. As long as there’s water and the geysers and hot springs and mud pots are still boiling, everything is fine.”
That said, Yellowstone National Park Public Affairs are not wasting any time and have begun preparations and training exercises. In fact, the emergency services associated with the National Park are discreetly performing training exercises to minimize local disturbances and to ensure that if the volcano erupts, they will be able to act decisively.
Morgan Warthin, a Yellowstone spokesman also discussed the challenges his team will face if there is a supervolcanic eruption at Yellowstone.
He said: “You know, the number one challenge is we are remote, so it takes a while to get to Yellowstone.”
During the simulation, family members of park employees, Xanterra employees and residents of Gardiner gave up their time to play the role of victims in the exercise.
When the test run began, responders from eight different agencies inside and outside the park dealt with the situation well.
What Would Happen if the Yellowstone Supervolcano Erupted?
- An eruption would have 2,500 times the force of Mt. Saint Helens in 1980.
- Would be larger than any nuclear bomb ever tested.
- The eruption would blast 240 cubic miles of rock, dust and volcanic ash into the sky. This would spread throughout the world and lower global temperatures by up to 28 degrees for years.
- 620 cubic miles of lava would flow out of the volcano. This is equivalent to coating the entire United States in 5 inches of lava.
- States surrounding Yellowstone would be wiped off the map (Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah).
Moreover, the amount of ash dispersed from the eruption could be so great that it could literally crush buildings, foul water supplies, clog electronics, ground airplanes, and irritate lungs. If that wasn’t enough to be bothersome, the toxic gases and chemicals would enter our atmosphere and cause toxic rain thus killing more humans, animals, and plants.
Given these facts, it is understandable why so many are trying to prepare for this. Be it preparing for a quick getaway or sheltering in place, there is much to prepare for. Luckily, there is still time to get some reserves in order.
How Much Warning Would We Have?
An example of what an ash cloud would look like after an eruption from a supervolcano.
So, will supervolcanoes give us any type of warning before they erupt? It turns out that supervolcanoes would provide a few warning signs that would give us a fairly definite timeline before they go off, but unfortunately, it’s not a very comforting timeline. According to a recent study, you’d have about a year or less to prepare.
Right before any super eruption though, there is one final stage — the decompression stage — characterized by the release of gas bubbles at the eruption site.
So, the study researchers decided to analyze quartz crystals at the site of one of these massive eruptions that erupted in California about 760,000 years ago, creating the Long Valley Caldera. Quartz crystals cover surface rims of eruption sites, so by analyzing them, the researchers were able to determine the rim growth rates times of the volcano based on the concentration of titanium in the crystals. By measuring the size and growth rates of these rims, they were able to determine the length of time it took for an explosion to happen once the decompression phase had begun.
Their analysis showed that more than 70% of rim growth occurred in less than a year, indicating that the quartz rims grow mostly in just the days or months prior to an eruption.
At first glance, most preppers would find that kind of warning to be a relief. After all, if someone told you that say, a nuclear war was going to happen in a year or that a tsunami was going to wipe out your home in a few months, you would have plenty of time to either get ready or get out of dodge.
But with a supervolcano, you’re dealing with an epic disaster that people and governments would need more time to prepare for. That said, having these officials decide on when to sound the alarm will be the biggest struggle. “It’s going to be hard for scientists to convince themselves just because of our only partial understanding of the complexity of the processes that are taking place,” Jacob Lowenstern of the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, California, the scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory says. Source
How To Prepare for the Long-Term
How does one prepare for a supervolcano? Survivability in this type of disaster is slim if you live in the surrounding areas. Suffice it to say, there would be mass casualties any way you look at it. This is the type of disaster that would be considered an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it event and would change the way we live life on this planet for years to come. It is essential to understand this before you begin prepping for long-term survival.
Areas to concentrate your efforts on are preparing your vehicle for a last minute evacuation, having supplies to shelter in place for up to 6 months or more, having a way to protect yourself from breathing in toxic chemicals, having a long-term food source, and having a way to grow your own food.
Based on research on your part, find out if your location will be immediately affected. At this time, you must make a decision whether to bug in or bug out. Because you never know when the supervolcano will erupt, it would be wise to have bug out bags in multiple locations (the workplace, home, and the vehicle).
If you evacuate:
Depending on where you reside in relation to the supervolcano, millions of people may need to be evacuated, which even with a year’s heads up could turn into a massive humanitarian disaster. Similar to how officials plan localized evacuations, they will likely zone out the affected area and allow certain zones to leave one at a time. When it is your time to leave, make sure you have a clear plan on where you are headed, including where you will stay, etc. Moreover, make sure you keep your vehicle evacuation-ready. This includes ensuring the vehicle is well-maintained with a full tank of gas, has the essential bug out supplies, has essential maps and navigational items. Follow the designated evacuation route and expect heavy traffic and delays.
Before you leave, prepare your home by turning off the gas, electricity, and water. Disconnect appliances to reduce the likelihood of electrical shock when power is restored.
If you are out of immediate impact and plan to shelter in place:
To supply the home for a supervolcano disaster, you need to plan for the long-term. That ash will clog the atmosphere enough to block out the sun, disrupting the global climate enough to cause food shortages and mass famine. Therefore, your food sources may be all that you have to get your through. If you are lucky enough to have a hydroponic growing system, make sure you have a lot of seeds to support your dietary needs.
It’s not only essential to have long-term food reserves, but also know how to pack your food properly for the long-term.
Due to the toxic rain that would cause mass extinction in the area, you want to concentrate your efforts on storing as much water as possible, as well as, food and supplies to live off of for a long-term emergency. As a starting point, fill sinks and bathtubs with water as an extra supply for washing and get a good water filter with extra filters stored for future use. This is a great week-by-week preparedness course you can use to get your supplies organized and prepped for the longevity.
You can also expect to be without power and alternative light sources will need to be prepared. To keep toxic dust from entering the home, ensure that any holes in windows are repaired and close off the fireplace and furnace dampers. In addition, consider setting adding plastic sheeting to the entrance of the home to minimize any toxic dust from entering the home.
Communication will be limited, therefore add new batteries to your radio, contact family members and let them know your plans and backup plans before the disaster. Remember that communication and emergency services may be overwhelmed or damaged during this type of emergency. Have medical supplies prepped and extra prescription medications,
Another concern you should consider is the toxic air that will be present after the eruption. Two years ago, after the volcano eruption in Indonesia, thousands complained of lung irritation shortly after the eruption. At the time, a local official urged the government to send out medical teams to areas most affected by volcanic ash, as the health awareness of local people is low and they might not consider coughing fits or flulike symptoms to be very serious. He added that ongoing exposure to the ash will destroy the lungs of people inhaling it. Having a way to protect your airways will greatly improve your health during this disaster. If you do not have access to a gas mask, have extra respiratory masks, handkerchiefs or cloth to cover your nose and mouth.
After the eruption:
Once the eruption has ceased, stay indoors until the ash has settled. There could be a danger of roof collapse due to excess ash. If this is the case, seek emergency shelter elsewhere. To prevent toxic dust and ash from entering the home, close and seal all windows with duct tape and keep all heating, and air conditioning units and fans turned off. As well, because volcanic ash can clog engines, avoid running your vehicle. Otherwise, you could damage moving parts and stall vehicles. During this time, you should avoid driving in heavy ash fall unless absolutely required. If you need to drive, keep the speed down to 50 km per hour or slower.
If you have proper body protection, begin clearing ash from flat or low-pitched roofs and rain gutters. Protect yourself from ash by wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants, using goggles, and a respiratory mask.
To conclude, seismologists at Yellowstone will continue to monitor the area in hopes of learning more and gaining a better picture of the supervolcano below. Until then, their preparations and training will ensure their reaction times are spot on in order to help others get to safety. All we can do at this point, is hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
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Additional Resources:
The Prepper’s Blueprint: The Step-By-Step Guide To Help You Through Any Disaster
Prepper’s Home Defense: Security Strategies to Protect Your Family by Any Means Necessary
The Survival Medicine Handbook: A Guide for When Help is Not on the Way
SAS Survival Handbook, Revised Edition: For Any Climate, in Any Situation
Tess Pennington is the author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, a comprehensive guide that uses real-life scenarios to help you prepare for any disaster. Because a crisis rarely stops with a triggering event the aftermath can spiral, having the capacity to cripple our normal ways of life. The well-rounded, multi-layered approach outlined in the Blueprint helps you make sense of a wide array of preparedness concepts through easily digestible action items and supply lists.
Tess is also the author of the highly rated Prepper’s Cookbook, which helps you to create a plan for stocking, organizing and maintaining a proper emergency food supply and includes over 300 recipes for nutritious, delicious, life-saving meals.
Visit her web site at ReadyNutrition.com for an extensive compilation of free information on preparedness, homesteading, and healthy living.
There would be tons of buffalo BBQ.
An imminent eruption ??? Maybe. Not likely. Yellowstone will OOZE like an open sore long before it blows. we will all be dead before that. 🙂
I have it on good authority that Planet X is going to impact In Hawaii, skip over the water right into The San Andres, then Bounce into Yellowstone. The two volcanic eruption, Tsunami, and Earthquake will totally destroy Natrona, Wyoming pop 10.
“Oh the Humanity” Perperations are now being discussed : Two cars or one Van?
I heard this isn’t going to blow for another several thousand years. Let’s hope that’s the case.
Drop a bunker buster on it and get it over with. Then we won’t have to worry about it for another 300,000 years.
I still have a jar of Saint Helens ash that I gathered in my front yard
in North Bend WA.
Where I live now I have to buy silicone windshield wipers because the acidic rain destroys the rubber ones(I have a erupting volcano nearby).
If Yellowstone blows, it will be a big deal, but life as we know it will not come to an end.
“could be” DOES NOT MEAN SHALL BE
Like a lot of things around this world, man CANNOT stop all dangerous events, especially in nature.
“Dr. Wendy Stovall, the deputy scientist in charge at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, a branch of the United States Geological Survey, said, “There is a lot of seismicity, or earthquake activity, and deformation around the geyser basin.” She also said, there is no cause for concern at this time.”
Welllllllllll Wendy, if there is “NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN” why are you and your buddies at USGS hyping this?
Why is Tess hyping this?
The United States Geological Survey, have been blathering on about this for the las 6 months
I guess they must need more funding.
Wendy is just buying into the hysterical weekly fit that SHTF puts out.
I trained in the stuff back in 1982 over at the Yakima Firing Range. There was still lots of ash. it was like baby powder. Walking around was like walking in baby powder. Not good because we had black boots back then. Dirty as soon as you stepped out of your vehicle. Not fun!
Since you weren’t in garrison why did the ash bother you?
You are going to get dirty there. I used to hunt a few
miles away from there.
When Saint Helens went off the biggest problem was air filters
for your car. I switched to K&N filters which you can clean.
They are not cheap, but they are good.
I remember a lot of stupid drivers would remove the air filters because they kept clogging, and just drive without them. So many damaged engines happened then because of it.
Phil gimmie kiss *mwah*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAgrIhacFcw
THE GR20
Rellik
When i was a kid we lived in the house right below Hirano store, can see that new cinder cone from the front yard, it wasnt that big back then, the vog was never as bad as it is now, was shocked last time i drove to Kona from Hamakua, felt like i was in california, was so thick you couldnt see waikoloa or even Kawaihai from HPA, Hamakua where we lived in the 70s and 80s we never had vog, now i know you get it when the trades shift, kinda wild, i remember going out to the Kau desert to watch the eruption out there, curtain of fountaining for miles, we used to swim at Kalapana black sand beach, my pop used to buy mules from a guy who lived down by the old painted church that used to be in kalapana, all gone now, covered up, sorta wild to think about that. good times, Mother nature is awesome.
Nail,
what scares me is I know all about and have been to the places you talk about. Although I thought swimming at black sand beach was a No-No, too hazardous.
I almost lost a second cousin, even though I told him not to surf there, locals saved his butt, barely.
I wish the old guy that sold mules was still around, my mule is pretty
hard to deal with. I need help to train him. There are not too many mule skinners left any more.
I know people in Kalapana and gave them leftover construction stuff from my daughters house, so they could build. They are good people.
The thing about the outer islands is if SHTF we will probably pull together much better than mainland peoples. Funny thing is we are much more diverse!
✌?Well, we shall see whats the skinny when the morning comes, halfway expect phones dead and no internet, good luck over there,
No Worries, Trump just launched on Syria….
About time the anticipation was a real nail biter…guess if we get EMP durring night ill have to make my coffee in the morning the old fashion way
@Godsoldier,
I just told the missus if a cyber attack, or an EMP takes the grid down overnight, and I get up to no hot coffee, I’m going to be really ticked.:-)
Its saturday, they would time it for max disruption, right when financial markets open monday morning,
USA-UK-France: Launched on Syria. God help us all.
Then Trump insults Putin. Russia is not North Korea. Russia has Full Nuclear Capability and then some.
Trump sent a “Twitter” “missiles on the way to Russia.” On Twitter. This is nuts. WTF? Is Trump insane? Blood sugar problem? Hypoglocemia? Why the late night insane “Twitter” nonsense?
When Trump launched on Syria. He lost my vote-respect-support. **Voters DEMAND PEACE. NO WAR. (No matter who runs against Trump. They get my vote/money. No matter how much they disgust me personally. They all disgust.)
Trump lacks maturity and common sense. Trump does not seem to understand that he is no longer a private citizen. Trump has Nuclear weapons under command.
But so does Putin. Read that again. Putin has Nukes.
How did messing with Russia work out for Napoleon?
How did messing with Russia work out for Hitler?
Napolean and Hitler had strong armies …Until they played with Russia.
Our children and families may very well die because Trump has a bad day/late night, and starts Twittering in the wee AM hours. Do any you people understand this? This is nuts. World War 3? Over what? Threats over Twitter? Who in their right mind does this?
***No war. No Syria. Stay out of other peoples civil wars. Show some respect for Nuclear nations Don’t stir war up. Mr. President Trump STAY THE HELL OFF OF TWITTER.
—Nothing on shtf for info about Syria situation. Why?
So if Yellowstone blows and multiple states are wiped out, emergency personnel are to gather at the park? This must be a government program.
It is hard enough to be ready for the things we can respond to adequately. Something of this caliber? Best thing any of us can do is just keep doing what we are and make sensible decisions no matter what happens.
And may I add regarding auto usage, well those closer to the eruption, if it occurs, do regard the air filter of the vehicle you and your family will occupy. Those in the kill zone, probably won’t matter. Ashe as said in the article will collect and severely damper vehicle operation. So, be a good idea to have several replacements, make sense,yes?
Also, wet shop towels or such to wipe air filter box and a blower, perhaps the type a person uses to clean their computer key board. Can buy at wally world or computer store.
I live in Eastern North Carolina and I do, I have.
Also, vehicle air conditioners and vents. How about home heating vents micro filters that catch the dust/junk coming out of the vents. Tape them over the vent openings from the outside inside the vehicle or disconnect vent system itself and install at the source.
https://www.howacarworks.com/basics/how-car-heating-and-ventilation-systems-work
Just a suggestion. I not a car expert. Don’t need to buy really expensive face mask although to good to have, but the cheap ones you can buy to use cutting your grass. Save the expensive ones for a pandemic or serious flu out break.
Also, booties, (no not booty call) booties, that they use in a clean room in the hospital or lab. Doesn’t cover the entire shoe, but the bottom of the up to bottom of he the laces Blue Shoe Guys Premium Disposable Boot & Shoe Covers | Heavy Duty, Non-Slip, Recyclable, Indoor/Outdoor | 100-Pack (Large Size Fits Most)–Amazon.com
Wrote to much here, most of you that live close probably know all of that but I have done this where I live and yellow stone is not necessarily my biggest threat but what the heck, that is what this site really stands for and that is to help one another out.
When Saint Helen’s blew we used women’s nylon stockings over our vehicle intake. Worked great. Still have the vehicle i was driving the with no ill effects other than a lot of miles.
If you really want to be certain when it blows, just keep an eye on the animals at Yelliwstone. Once you see them running away, you know its coming…,
Yellowstone is really old, and as with all old geezers it could just be gas…… Brrrriiiiip!
Which reminds me. A nurse at the old folks home was arrested for giving Viagra to all the male patients at bed time. She claimed it was helpful in preventing them from rolling out of bed.
Which reminds me of the time I tried Viagra. What a nightmare. Did you ever go to take a pill without water and it just gets stuck in your throat, yup that happened to me. I had a stiff neck for two days,
Eppe…..Your Back!
Keep em coming.
Why not just drop a bomb on it? Pop it. Just like lancing a boil. Then it’s done and over, no more speculating.
You don’t have a clue with the power you are dealing with.
BULLSHIT!…..no one knows if and even when this bad boy could blow…..quit the scare tactics shit…..I live about 300 miles as the crow flies from Jellystone…..you or nobody else is going to freak me out and make me move. Concentrate more on Syria and what will happen there…..geeeez
Doesn’t look like Texas will get it so bad, but having so many states in the breadbasket get hit will bring this nation to starvation. Also means all those foodstuffs we export to other countries will be cut off. I wonder how many of you know that Texas is the second largest producer of winter wheat in the US? That’s good for us, but the demand(if the wheat can still be grown and harvested after a super-volcanic eruption) for it will be incredible. I expect transportation to be totally fouled up after the eruption, and that will kill a lot of people too. Kind of an avalanche effect. Best get to prepping.
Sean,
Good Info. I thought NDAK an SODAK produced most our winter wheat.
Canada also pumps out a lot of food.
I always thought of Texas as a producer of refined oil and guys that assassinate people. Bad joke!
Dallas, Austin, Waco, need I go on?
Could be another article that starts out:
Although “there is no reason for concern at this time” (according to scientists), we have some ideas about prepping which may be useful, if and when Yellowstone Volcano erupts.
__
I’ld start with items for a bugout bag.
__
Just 3 steps:
1. Bend over
2. Grab your ankles
and
3. Kiss your ass goodbye
Noontime in Tucson,Az. No power. Well,the Russkies didn’t waste anytime
This happens there each 640,000 years, so don’t lose sleep over those odds
This is like some kind of game. The reports of eruptions have been touted as imminent for decades. I guess the winner is the goose who guesses on exactly the right day….btw, every day is the right day. These guys are as useless as local weather forecasterds; just show us the radar, we can figure it out ourselves.
Jackson Girl,
You know, I am REALLY sick of this crap. I live 60 miles from Yellowstone and have watched while people have tried to say the buffalo are all running out of the park, there’s a bubble growing in Yellowstone Lake, etc. These things have been happening for a very long time. If and when the animals start to move out of the park, THEN I’ll worry. They know a lot more than the dumb humans studying this. And by the way, emergency measure in the park are stupid. Anyone there, or within over 200 miles of the park will be toast within minutes and we know it. So knock off the stupidity please!
Oh boy, one thing after the next. . .I guess we should ALL just hurry up and Die already yes??
I prepare for high probability events first and low probability events last. This seems like a low probability event. If the likelihood of this event moves up the probability scale then I will worry about it.