Papua New Guinea Orders Evacuations After Volcano Eruption

Facts

• On Monday, Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Mount Ulawun volcano began spewing smoke and debris into the air — prompting residential evacuations and the cancellation of air travel.¹
• New Britain Island, where Mount Ulawun is located, is a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of heavy volcanic and tectonic activity that lines the rim of the Pacific Ocean.²
• Mount Ulawun is the tallest and most active volcano in Papua New Guinea. On Tuesday, the eruption declined in activity, however, on Monday ash was ejected as high as 15 km (50K ft) into the air. The PNG's Geohazards Management Division downgraded the eruption from its highest warning level but cannot pinpoint when it will subside.³
• At the onset of the eruption, Japan’s Meteorological Agency conducted a risk assessment to determine if the risk of a tsunami reaching Izu and Ogasawara Island was a possibility on Monday afternoon. There was no indication of a sea level rise, therefore no advisories or warnings were issued.⁴
• After downgrading the eruption from 'Stage 4' to 'Stage 3,' FlightAware reported that air travel has resumed normal activity at the airports in the capital city of Port Moresby and the capital city of the Solomon Islands, Honiara.⁵

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Reuters, ³Associated Press, ⁴ABC News and ⁵DW.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Community Safety. Papua New Guinea is one of the most disaster-prone and vulnerable countries in the world. Residents live under the constant threat of geologic and meteorological hazards. Even with the long-standing risks, the structures and infrastructure throughout PNG are inadequate and at risk. A burgeoning bilateral partnership between Australia and Papua New Guinea's governments focusing on disaster risk reduction could help greatly, but the threat remains.
• Narrative B, as provided by Mashable. The news cycle and social media are lighting up about the many volcanic eruptions that are imminent or already occurring. Yet, the truth is that we live on a very active geologic planet with somewhere between 40-50 eruptions occurring every day. Much to the chagrin of doomsayers, there is nothing abnormal going on here. PNG has faced and adopted to the threat of volcanoes throughout the tapestry of its history.

Predictions