The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program—Helping to Save Lives Worldwide for More Than 30 Years What do you do when a sleeping volcano roars back to have allowed warnings to be received, understood, and acted life? For more than three decades, countries around the world upon prior to the disaster. have called upon the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volcano VDAP strives to ensure that such a tragedy will never hap- Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) to contribute expertise and pen again. The program’s mission is to assist foreign partners, equipment in times of crisis. Co-funded by the USGS and the at their request, in volcano monitoring and empower them to U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of U.S. For- take the lead in mitigating hazards at their country’s threaten- eign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), VDAP has evolved ing volcanoes. Since 1986, team members have responded to and grown over the years, adding newly developed monitoring over 70 major volcanic crises at more than 50 volcanoes and technologies, training and exchange programs, and eruption have strengthened response capacity in 12 countries. The VDAP forecasting methodologies to greatly expand global capabilities team consists of approximately 20 geologists, geophysicists, and that mitigate the impacts of volcanic hazards. These advances, in engineers, who are based out of the USGS Cascades Volcano turn, strengthen the ability of the United States to respond to its Observatory in Vancouver, Washington. In 2016, VDAP was a own volcanic events. finalist for the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for VDAP was formed in 1986 in response to the devastating its work in improving volcano readiness and warning systems volcanic mudflow triggered by an eruption of Nevado del Ruiz worldwide, helping countries to forecast eruptions, save lives, volcano in Colombia. The mudflow destroyed the city of Armero and reduce economic losses while enhancing America’s ability to on the night of November 13, 1985, killing more than 25,000 respond to domestic volcanic events. people in the city and surrounding areas. Sadly, the tragedy was avoidable. Better education of the local population and clear communication between scientists and public officials could Cotopaxi erupting in 2015, southeast of Mejía Canton, Ecuador. Photograph copyright Henri Leduc, used with permission. U.S. Department of the Interior Fact Sheet 2017–3071 U.S. Geological Survey October 2017 Mexico - Guatemala Tacaná El Salvador Mexico Santa Ana Montserrat Colima San Miguel Soufrière Hills Popocatépetl Saudi Arabia Philippines Dominica Harrat Lunayyir Guatemala Morne Plat Pays Pinatubo Cape Verde Taal Santiaguito Panama Mayon Fuego Fogo Barú Bulusan Pacaya Colombia Costa Rica Democratic Republic of the Congo Papua New Guinea Nicaragua Nevado del Ruiz San Cristóbal Poás Nevado del Huila Nyirogongo Manam Casita Turrialba Galeras Garbuna Telica Tanzania Indonesia Pago Cerro Negro Colombia - Ecuador Ol Doinyo Lengai Sinabung Colo Rabaul Momotombo Ecuador Chiles-Cerro Negro Tangkubanperahu Awu Sulu Range Concepción Reventador Peru Slamet Karangetang Pichincha Cotopaxi Sabancaya Dieng Soputan Ubinas Merapi Lokon Tungurahua Raung Gamkonora Sangay Agung Gamalama Tambora Chile Egon Chaitén Cerro Hudson World map with locations of volcanoes (red triangles) at which the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) has responded during the more than 30 years since the program’s inception. VDAP Responses—Timely was moved or protected before the vol- a lava dome at the volcano’s summit, and Warnings Save Lives cano erupted just days later. radar images penetrated the clouds that On November 20, 2008, a volcanic normally block visibility. The images Successful volcano responses rely mudflow swept through the town of Belal- helped VDAP’s partners at the Indonesian on a combination of geophysical data, cázar, Colombia, as a result of eruptive Center for Volcanology and Geologic fieldwork, satellite observations, histori- activity on the nearby Nevado del Huila Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) to forecast cal analysis, and effective communica- volcano. Prior on-site and remote sup- deadly pyroclastic flows (scorching clouds tions. VDAP’s first major test was in port from VDAP allowed the Colombian of ash and rock particles that sweep 1991 in the Philippines, where Mount Geological Survey to successfully avert downhill). On October 25, local authori- Pinatubo threatened two U.S. military a repeat of the earlier Armero tragedy ties evacuated everyone living within bases, as well as villages and towns through timely warnings, an aggressive 10 kilometers (6 miles) of the summit. around the volcano where hundreds of education program, and effective com- Twenty-three hours later, explosions sent thousands of Filipinos lived. Swarms of munications. The local people were aware the first searing pyroclastic flows as far as earthquakes and small explosions spurred that the volcano posed a threat and were 8 kilometers (5 miles) away. Over the fol- the Philippine Institute of Volcanology prepared to act; when the warning came, lowing 10 days, VDAP and its Indonesian and Seismology to request assistance 12,000 people evacuated the town at partners used satellite radar data to track from VDAP. Together, they installed night. the rapid extrusion of a lava dome at the monitoring networks and estimated the VDAP incorporates satellite imagery summit and forecast the potential for an potential for a cataclysmic eruption. data as another form of monitoring shared even larger event. On November 4, based With input from VDAP, the U.S. mili- with international partners. On October on the remote sensing information and tary opted to evacuate more than 15,000 22, 2010, Indonesian scientists recog- increased seismicity, CVGHM called for service personnel and dependents from nized that the frequently active Merapi evacuations to be extended to 20 kilo- Clark Air Force Base. Evacuations of volcano was experiencing earthquakes, meters (12 miles) from the summit. Just nearby towns and villages saved between gas emissions, and ground movements hours later, the largest eruption at Merapi 5,000 and 20,000 lives, and hundreds of far more intense than usual. All available in 100 years generated pyroclastic flows millions of dollars worth of equipment satellites were tasked to track growth of and surges that decimated the landscape, traveling as far as 15 kilometers (9 miles) goal of science diplomacy (see sidebar VDAP Training Courses Offer from the summit. The timely warnings “Science as a Path to Diplomacy”). Advanced Education Opportunities and evacuations during the 2010 erup- VDAP also develops new systems tions saved between 10,000 and 20,000 to better and more frequently quantify Many countries simply lack the lives. the amounts and types of gas emitted resources to educate and train scientists from volcanoes, which are key indica- in the highly specialized tasks related to volcano monitoring and interpreta- Designing Equipment That Makes tors used to forecast volcano behavior. tion. VDAP champions a multi-pronged a Difference In the past, volcano scientists have had approach to bridge this knowledge gap. to make measurements in unsafe loca- To support worldwide volcano mon- Travel grants bring scientists from around tions or fly through the volcanic plume itoring efforts, VDAP engineers assemble the world to the annual seven-week train- robust instruments that are simple to in expensive helicopters or small aircraft. ing course at the University of Hawaiʻi’s install, easy to maintain, and last for Today, VDAP scientists and engineers Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes many years. Seismic and Global Position- deploy scanning ultraviolet spectrometers on Hawaiʻi Island and in Vancouver, ing System (GPS) stations are positioned to measure the volcanic output of sulfur Washington. USGS staff and university to detect and locate subtle earthquakes dioxide—a key indicator of shallow partners serve as instructors and men- and ground movements that may signal magma—from afar. They also designed tors for this unique training program. VDAP also sponsors focused workshops an awakening volcano; they are designed robust gas “sniffers” (called MultiGAS) at home and abroad on topics including to run on solar energy and relay their data to determine the ratio of sulfur diox- seismology, volcanic gas emissions, lahar in real time through low-power radios. ide to other key gases such as carbon Field engineers from partner agencies (mudflow) modeling, hazards mapping, dioxide, which reveals magma depth improve their skills in installing and volcano deformation, remote sensing, and and the pathways by which gas reaches maintaining the systems, either at home monitoring of crater lakes. USGS mentors on their volcanoes, or during a visit to the surface. Both technologies can send also assist partners in writing and publish- the Cascades Volcano Observatory. With data directly to the volcano observatory, ing their research so that they become experience, they can assist neighboring without the need for frequent servicing of the acknowledged experts for their local countries, enhancing VDAP’s secondary the instruments. volcanoes. Merapi volcano towers above this densely populated part of central Workshops allow VDAP partners and collaborators to discuss best Java (approximately 4 million people live nearby). In 2010, the decision practices for a wide variety of situations. Here, VDAP staff and their to extend the evacuation zone from 10 kilometers (red dashed