To all residents of communities affected by the volcanic eruption of Mount Rainier:
I would like to inform you of the dangers and hazards that could occur during a volcanic eruption. There are three major hazards that are potentially life threatening; lahars, lava and pyroclastic flows. The lahars or volcanic mudflows can submerge large amounts of land and damage homes, highways, bridges and pipelines. Lahars are very likely to happen due to the ice on the mountaintops and loose volcanic rocks. Lava flows contain hot molten rock and moves downward similar to a stream of water. Although lava flows are easily avoided, they are very destructive due to the hot temperatures. Pyroclastic flows are not as common as lahars and lava flows but are still very dangerous. This type of volcanic eruption emits deadly hot gases and dry rock fragments into the atmosphere and expand quickly within a great distance. Unlike lava flows that move at a relatively slow pace, pyroclastic flows can engulf large areas very quickly at almost 100 …show more content…
The pyrcolastic flow caused by the eruption will melt the snow and ice causing a volcanic landslide. Lahars can travel at fast rates and well beyond the point of eruption. Mount Rainier is more prone to lahars because of the slope of the mountain and contains an abundant amount of loose sediments that causes the lahar to flow downhill easier. In the past, lahars have traveled at a fast rate of up to 80km per hour and damage an entire community. The highways and bridges are in danger because Lahars resemble the flow of concrete, destroying the roads making travel nearly impossible. Also, the metals that hold the bridge in place can melt and follow the path of the lahars. Not only does lahars cause structural damages, but can also cause destruction of pipelines, cutting of water supplies to the