Most volcanic events are preceded by clear warnings of activity from the volcano. If the community at risk is prepared in advance, many lives can be saved. Evacuation is the most important method of hazard management used today. Evacuation of the area at risk can save lives, but advance preparation and management structures to organise the evacuation, temporary housing, food etc. are needed. The length of time of the evacuation may be long term: e.g. 5000 residents of Montserrat were evacuated three times between December 995 and August 1996 for periods of up to three months, to avoid pyroclastic flows and ashfalls. By November 1996, the disruption was thought to last another eighteen months. The scale of evacuations can be huge – in 1995 volcanologists and civil defence officials drew up an emergency plan for the 600,00 people at risk from an eruption of Vesuvius. The operation is large scale and involves removing people to safety by ship. If the people involved panicked the plan would be useless. People need to be clear of the risk and how to behave during an event. Another case study is Popocatepetl and Mexico City and our Orting work http://www.dominican.edu/dominicannews/understanding-human-response-to-disaster.html  and

http://www.cityoforting.org/emergency_management/evacuation_plan.html .

Evacuations have been very successful in recent times and are the most common hazard-management strategy. Pinatubo had the evacuation of 250,000 people but 800 still died. Nevado del Ruiz was a disaster with 23000 deaths as the Colombian government did not have a policy in place for monitoring volcanoes and for disaster preparedness. Communications between scientists monitoring volcanoes and government officials must be clear, consistent and accurate. The eruption was expected, and scientists monitoring the activity had produced a hazard map. However, a lack of clear communication and indecision resulted in disaster. The Colombian government had more serious and immediate problems – economic crisis, political instability and drug gangs (narcotic cartels) – to deal with. Hazard salience is important at the government level.