Mount Spurr has been gaining attention over the last few months, as community members and municipal governments consider the effects a potential volcanic eruption could have on their business operations, schools and lives. Spurr, one of more than 50 active volcanoes in Alaska, is located about 61 miles away from Kenai and 117 miles away from Homer.
Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge with the Alaska Volcano Observatory, said in an interview Monday, March 24, that Spurr first started showing signs of unrest about a year ago, with increased earthquakes and ground surface displacement pointing to increased underground activity.
Last summer, ice and snow near Spurr’s summit melted, creating a small lake in a crater where previous eruptions have occurred. Haney says recent data from March 7 and 11 show “anomalous gas emissions” from the volcano, with elevated levels of volcanic gases at both the summit and Crater Peak.
The volcano has been listed by AVO under a yellow advisory since October. Haney said there will be an orange watch and red warning if Spurr’s activity continues to grow, but for now, it’s still only at an advisory level.
Haney said if seismic stations on Mount Spurr begin to measure a type of seismic signal — called a volcanic tremor — that would point to an increase in eruption possibility. Unlike a smaller earthquake, a volcanic tremor is individual and lengthy. Haney says they haven’t seen one yet, but that’s one example of an event that would raise the advisory level to an orange watch.
Spurr previously erupted in 1992 and 1953. Both times, Haney said, the eruption emanated from Crater Peak, a flank vent located 2 miles south of the summit and about 2,500 feet lower in elevation. Haney said that if an eruption does happen, scientists consider Crater Peak to be the most likely culprit, rather than the summit, which scientists suspect has not erupted in as many as 5,000 years.
In 1992, Spurr erupted three separate times (June 27, Aug. 18, and Sept. 16-17), coating Anchorage in ash and shutting down the Ted Stevens International Airport for 20 hours during the August eruption.
Haney said that the speed and locations of ash arrival will depend entirely on wind direction at the time of eruption. Regardless, community members should have at least two hours between the eruption and ashfall arrival, if the winds even push ash toward populous areas at all.
“I’m looking at the ashfall forecast on our website right now, based on current meteorological conditions,” Haney said Monday. “If Spurr were to erupt right now, which it’s not, it would go to the northwest, so actually, away from both Anchorage and Homer.”
Getting ready for an eruption
In preparation for a potential ashfall event, you should check doorways and windows in your home for seals. Haney said instead of scraping ash off of vehicles during cleanup, try using water to gently wash the ash off. You’re less likely to damage the paint if you use water.
According to the Municipality of Anchorage’s Office of Emergency Management, ash particles are very sharp and can cause damage if inhaled, especially in small children and those with existing respiratory illnesses. An ash cloud may also reduce sunlight, potentially causing the sky to unexpectedly darken during an eruption event. It’s important to remain calm, as ash is also extremely slippery, complicating both driving and walking.
Anchorage OEM stresses that it’s important to stay indoors until local health officials advise it is safe to go outside. In the interim, you should wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect your body, goggles to protect your eyes, and a dust mask, preferably with a filter on it, like an N95. If you don’t have a mask, try holding a damp cloth over your face to protect your lungs. Wearing eyeglasses, rather than contact lenses, is also suggested to prevent the transfer of sharp ash particles to your eyes.
Brenda Ahlberg, the Kenai Peninsula Borough’s emergency manager, said Tuesday that residents should always be evaluating their personal risks and which steps they’re taking to mitigate it. That’s true for a possible volcanic eruption, as well as for the upcoming wildfire season or any other natural disaster.
Resources on the borough’s Office of Emergency Management website, info.kpb.us, describe what to do before, during and after an eruption. That information is all informed by reputable agencies like the Alaska Volcano Observatory and the National Weather Service.
Those guides describe examining home systems to see whether they pull air from outside, and avoiding driving in the case of local ashfall. A home emergency supply kit good for any emergency would include food, water, various tools and other essentials. All of this information is also provided in a checklist format in the “Pocket Preparedness Guide,” compiled by the office and available at their website.
The borough will also communicate during any emergency using its KPB Alerts system, which residents can enroll in at OEM’s website to receive text message alerts. AVO also has a system for reporting volcano alerts that people can subscribe to with an email address — including setting notifications only to the Cook Inlet and Southcentral region volcanoes.
Ahlberg said that if there is an eruption, and if there is ashfall on the peninsula — which AVO mapping currently shows is unlikely — there will be some hours between when the eruption occurs and ash could arrive on the peninsula. A volcanic eruption, like any other disaster, she said, is something that may or may not come and something that residents can prepare for.
“This is a natural phenomenon that we may or may not get to witness,” she said.
Because of the AVO’s modeling, and because the Kenai Peninsula is so far away from Mount Spurr, Ahlberg said that if any ash does fall on the Kenai Peninsula, it will most likely be comparable to springtime dust that people will need to clear away and be mindful of.
The City of Homer has resources online for emergency situations under their public safety and emergency information webpages. The webpage includes a PDF guide on building a seven-day emergency kit from the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and links to resources on disaster planning for your pets from the American Red Cross and the Humane Society of the United States.
The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District released a letter for parents and concerned community members on March 20 regarding the district’s Spurr preparedness plan in the case of an eruption. You can find the letter online at kpbsd.org/kpbsd-mt-spurr-preparedness-letter-to-families/.
In the event of an eruption, you can tune into your local public radio station, KBBI AM 890, or KDLL 91.9 FM for timely emergency updates.
