Evacuation Scenario

It is a beautiful weekend in late Spring, and you have permission to spend it in a cabin owned by your friend Pat's parents, located near (Mount St. Helens or other volcanic site.) Until they return to pick you up on Sunday evening, you are "on your own" in the wilderness. You and your friends have spent your first day fishing and swimming in a nearby river, scouting the trails for a hike you plan to take tomorrow, eating, laughing, and generally having a wonderful time. By evening you are all exhausted, ready for dinner and an early bedtime. But one member of the group, Rudy, can't sleep. His restless movements around the cabin keep disturbing your dreams, and the others are complaining that he's keeping them awake, too. By dawn, your sleepless friend is up, crashing around the kitchen, fixing breakfast. Groaning and grumpy, everyone is awake by 6:30 a.m. It is May 18, 1980.
While the group eats, Rudy tells you all about the dreams that kept waking and upsetting him last night. He dreamed of a series of earthquakes and violent volcanic eruptions. At first, you tease him about his fears. You've all lived in the shadow of this familiar mountain most of your lives. True, over the last year it has been showing increasing, mild activity; however, scientists have maintained that there is no present danger.
But Rudy insists that he has a "premonition," that the dreams were so vivid he believes they're a warning. He wants to pack up the gear, and leave the area. His words are having an effect on the rest of you, who begin to look anxiously out the windows.
Just then, Pat bursts through the cabin door. He'd gone to get a clear view of the mountain from a spot about 40 feet in front of the cabin, and now he urges the rest of you to come out and look. Something new is happening. Instead of the usual light-colored puff of steam, there is a huge, dark-gray cloud hanging over the peak. And then, there is a slight tremor at your feet. And then, a stronger shaking that knocks a can of soup off a kitchen shelf, and causes several empty Styrofoam cups to roll off the table onto the floor.

Realizing that you should:

  1. stay together
  2. decide on the best route out of the area
  3. avoid panic.

You gather around the kitchen table to plan your evacuation.

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