Attack of the Super Volcanos

As an emergency preparedness professional, it’s always something.  Hurricanes, earthquake activity, forest fires, terrorism, cybersecurity, derechos, microbursts, you name it.  And now we have super volcanos to deal with? Oy vey!

What the Heck are Super Volcanos?

Simply put, super volcanos are big. VERY big.  In fact, they are so large that eruptions could have a global impact.

An example of a super volcano is Campi Flegrei located in Naples.  The width of the volcano spans a whopping 8 miles, which makes it an extreme threat to the hundreds of thousands of people who live in its wake.  When this thing erupts, it might look a lot like hell on Earth.

The major problem with volcanoes in general – much less super volcanos – is that it is very difficult to predict an eruption.  The primary method scientists have utilized to monitor the threat of eruptions is my painstakingly measuring extremely slow-moving ground movements.  But the time scale is so large, as are the number of difficult-to-predict variables, that it is an imperfect method.

To learn more about these measurement techniques, especially how they relate to Campi Flegrei, click here.

For utilities serving areas near volcanos, the lack of precision when predicting an eruption makes super volcanos worthy of inclusion in emergency plans.  I’m sure utility companies in high-risk areas have such elements in its emergency plan, but even utility companies in less vulnerable areas should consider incorporating processes for this type of emergency event.  As I said, a super volcano eruption could have global consequences, and as such this is clearly a threat that should not be taken lightly.