Emergency preparedness

Lahar Plan

Living near Mt. Rainier has potential hazards that include eruption, lava or ash fall and mudflows known as lahars.
Pierce County Emergency Management, the U.S. Geologic Survey team and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency have joined together to create a plan for responding to any Mt. Rainier emergency that may occur.
The Sumner School District has been an active partner in planning and preparing for the evacuation of all schools
located in the valley as might someday be required.

What is the District response plan for a volcanic eruption or lahar?
In conjunction with Pierce County Emergency Management Services, the District will receive immediate notification of volcanic activity at Mt. Rainier through special pagers issued to district administrators and building principals. Each school will be contacted so that emergency support and response by students and staff can be initiated. In Sumner, emergency sirens will sound throughout the community to alert all residents to the hazard. All valley schools will immediately evacuate. It is anticipated that the county will receive advance indications of increased volcanic activity at the mountain and that the valley schools may already be operating in alternative modes prior to any eruption or lahar flow.

What is the lahar evacuation plan?
The current plan includes a provision for evacuating students from valley schools via pedestrian routes. Students and staff will walk east towards Bonney Lake and ascend to the ridge where District Transportation services will shuttle students to shelter at hilltop schools. The plan was developed in coordination with law enforcement agencies as a part of the larger county emergency response. The county plan includes diverting vehicle traffic and restricting traffic flow to northbound routes and either east- or westbound traffic. These traffic restrictions will prevent the public from driving into the mudflow as well as limiting the District’s ability to provide bus transportation to students in the valley.

How much time is there to evacuate?
Experts predict that the valley floor in Sumner will fill to a depth of thirty feet with mud and debris. It is estimated that there is approximately (after the lahar alert) 60-90 minutes for safe evacuation from the valley.

Where will students and staff shelter?
Each valley school is assigned to a hilltop school for sheltering and managing student-parent relocation. Families should report as soon as practicable to the student-parent reunion center located in the gymnasium of their assigned schools. It is important that families make plans to reunite with their children at the relocation schools, not at their attendance school, so that the schools can evacuate quickly and safely. Driving directions to all schools are located on the district homepage.

Here's a list of "sister schools":
* Daffodil Valley Elementary -- Crestwood Elementary
* Maple Lawn Elementary -- Emerald Hills Elementary
* McAlder Elementary -- Liberty Ridge Elementary
* Sumner Middle School -- Mountain View Middle School
* Sumner High School -- Lakeridge Middle School

I'd like to learn more about the district crisis plan.
Please contact your building principal to learn more about how your school is preparing for emergencies related to natural disasters or severe weather conditions. District level response plans can be reviewed with Linda Yotsko in Business Services at Central Office.

How can I find out more about Mt. Rainier lahars?
The News Tribune has published a series of articles detailing the countywide emergency response plan, as well as explaining the geologic history of the mountain. The articles can be read at www.tribnet.com/projects/lahar/ on the Internet. These articles give detailed information about the monitoring system that has been installed on the mountain and the emergency notification system for police and fire departments.

Pierce County Emergency Management

Sumner School District Emergency Preparedness