August 14, 2001
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'Glacial outburst' turns out to be normal natural process
NISQUALLY - by KOMO-TV News, Seattle
PIERCE COUNTY - First it was a lahar.
Then it wasn't.
Then it was a glacial outburst.
Wrong again.
Geologists Wednesday pinpointed the source of a gush of water from a
Mount Rainier glacier that sent rocks and trees rushing into the Nisqually
River.
They said it was a plain old debris buildup that gave way, not anything
geological, seismological, volcanic or otherwise extraordinary.
No Injuries, Damage
No injuries or serious damage was reported from the Tuesday night event,
but it sent emergency officials scrambling to gauge the severity of the event
at the 14,410-foot mountain. The fear was that a lahar, a potentially deadly
flow of mud and debris, might be coming down the river.
Mount Rainier is an active volcano, and its glaciers feed rivers that run
through some of the most populous regions of the state.
"Reports are still coming in, but we're lucky at this point," said Jody
Woodcock, spokeswoman for Pierce County Emergency Management.
"This isn't the big one we've been practicing for."
Surge Came Down
The surge of water sent water and debris rushing into the Nisqually and its
tributaries, and left some mud and rock on a park road, said Maria Gillett,
spokeswoman for Mount Rainier National Park. Despite initial concerns, it
had little effect downstream, where the Nisqually showed no indication that
it would overflow its banks.
Nevertheless, the rising water scared campers at several locations within
the park, which receives more than 1.2 million visitors a year. The road to
Paradise, where the park's main visitor center and hotel are located, was
closed briefly as a precaution, but all facilities were open Wednesday
morning, Gillett said.
Some campers left, but no evacuations were ordered, she said.
Mud and debris was left on the road to Paradise near Christine Falls, just
above where Van Trump Creek enters the Nisqually River, but the mess was
cleared by dawn Wednesday, said park spokeswoman Alisa Lynch.
A helicopter with geologists from the U.S. Geological Survey plus park and
Pierce County officials flew Wednesday by the glaciers high on the
mountain's southern flank to look for melting, she said.
Better Safe Than Sorry People in nearby communities were asked to stay
away from the river, just in case. Tuesday night, Gillett and several of her
neighbors in Ashford, site of the park's headquarters just outside the park's
southwest entrance, took survival supplies and left their homes.
"I grabbed my pack, grabbed a cell phone and a park radio, and went and
grabbed an elderly neighbor who I wasn't sure would know what was going
on," Gillett said. "We drove up what's basically a logging road and ran into
several of my neighbors up there."
The rushing water apparently came from the Van Trump or Kautz glacier on
the volcano's south side, officials said.
Officials have been particularly sensitive to potential eruptions of Mount
Rainier following a recent computer simulation that showed the region isn't
prepared for one. The simulation, done in May with the help of the federal
government, showed that as many as 5,000 people could be killed in an
eruption.
An electronic sensor on the mountain, designed to warn of impending
eruptions or mud flows, was tripped Tuesday night, apparently by the
rushing water and debris. It sounded an alarm at the Pierce County dispatch
center, said Sheriff Paul Pastor.
Orting Police Chief Ron Emmons said no siren was sounded in the town, as
might have happened if the flow had been into the Carbon or Puyallup rivers.
Still, roads above Orting were closed.
"Everything here is fine," Emmons said Tuesday night. "Probably it was a
pretty good drill, but we don't like those kinds of things, at night especially."
Common Event On The Big Mountain
Glacial outbursts are among the most common types of events a volcano
like Mount Rainier can produce, said Bill Steele of the University of
Washington seismology center in Seattle.
"It's a hot summer, a dry year," Steele said. "The water builds up, gets
trapped under the glacier and then can burst forth suddenly, causing a flood
down the channel which can be quite dangerous if you're near the river."
The rising water level was noticed at about 10 p.m.
Pastor noted the water surge occurred in "a very isolated part of the county
-- a wilderness area."
Pierce County activated its emergency operations center and called out its
search and rescue personnel and swift water rescue teams, sheriff's
spokesman Ed Troyer said.
For More Information:
What's a Lahar? - volcanoes.usgs.gov/Products/Pglossary/lahar.html
Lahar Warning System -
volcanoes.usgs.gov/About/Highlights/RainierPilot/Pilot_highlight.html
Mt. Rainier Web site -
www.nps.gov/mora/
The thing is if the quake is so bad to destroy all that south of there the northern sections of CA will be very bad too. Maybe you should move way north or way EAST like CO which should be much safer I would think!
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