Officials Plan To Upgrade Mt. Rainier Volcano Warning Systems

ENUMCLAW, WA - Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and Pierce County recently announced that it completed a plan to upgrade the lahar warning system that would notify local residents in the event of an eruption.

The plan provides a path to improve the lahar system to provide information more quickly about seismic activity and lahar flows, Pierce County says. In the event of an eruption, lahar flows would flow through river valleys that drain off of Mt. Rainier.

Communities along the Nisqually, White, Carbon, Puyallup, and Cowlitz rivers could be affected. Cities like Puyallup and Sumner could be completely wiped out. Cities along the Puyallup River are at greatest risk, geologists say, because of weak soil on that side of the volcano.

County officials said that upgrades to lahar warning equipment would continue throughout 2017.

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