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Lahar Evacuation & Response Plan

Living near Mount Rainier has potential hazards that include eruption, lava or ash fall and mudflows known as lahars. Pierce County Emergency Management, the U.S. Geologic Survey and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have joined together to create a plan for responding to any Mount Rainier emergency that may occur. The Sumner-Bonney Lake School District has been an active partner in planning and preparing for the evacuation of all schools located in the valley as might someday be required.

What is the District response plan for a volcanic eruption or lahar? 

In conjunction with Pierce County Emergency Management Services, the District will receive immediate notification of volcanic activity at Mt. Rainier through emergency communications to district administrators and building principals. Each school will be contacted so that emergency support and response by students and staff can be initiated. In Sumner, emergency sirens will sound throughout the community to alert all residents to the hazard. All valley schools will immediately evacuate. It is anticipated that the county will receive advance indications of increased volcanic activity at the mountain and that the valley schools may already be operating in alternative modes prior to any eruption or lahar flow.

Please contact your building principal to learn more about how your school is preparing for emergencies related to natural disasters or severe weather conditions. District level response plans can be reviewed at the Central Administration Office.

What is the lahar evacuation plan?

The current plan includes a provision for evacuating students from valley schools via pedestrian routes. Students and staff will walk east towards Bonney Lake and ascend to the ridge where District Transportation services will shuttle students to shelter at hilltop schools. The plan was developed in coordination with law enforcement agencies as a part of the larger county emergency response. The county plan includes diverting vehicle traffic and restricting traffic flow to northbound routes and either east- or westbound traffic. These traffic restrictions will prevent the public from driving into the mudflow as well as limiting the District’s ability to provide bus transportation to students in the valley.

How much time is there to evacuate?

Experts predict that the valley floor in Sumner will fill to a depth of thirty feet with mud and debris. It is estimated that there is approximately (after the lahar alert) 60-90 minutes for safe evacuation from the valley.

Lahar drill badge logo with mountain and trees

SBLSD participates in regional lahar drill

Mount Rainier Lahars: USGS

Where will students and staff shelter?

Each valley school is assigned to a hilltop school, known as "sister schools," for sheltering and managing student-parent relocation, depending on the district's ability to bus students and staff to sister schools. Families should report as soon as practicable to the student-parent reunion center located in the gymnasium of their assigned sister schools. It is important that families make plans to reunite with their children at the relocation schools, not at their attendance school, so that the schools can evacuate quickly and safely. Driving directions to all schools are located on the District homepage. Please be patient during this process, as there will likely be many factors out of District control.

Here's a list of "sister schools:"

  • Daffodil Valley Elementary - Crestwood Elementary
  • Maple Lawn Elementary - Emerald Hills Elementary
  • Sumner Middle/Community-Based Transition Program - Mountain View Middle
  • Sumner High/Elhi Hill High School - Lakeridge Middle or Bonney Lake High School
  • Sumner Early Learning Center - Bonney Lake Elementary

Pierce County Emergency Management Lahar Warning Sirens

Pierce County Emergency Management tests its 24 outdoor lahar warning sirens on a monthly basis. Monthly drills take place on the first Mondays of the month, at 12 noon, which will coincide with the monthly testing of the State's tsunami sirens along the coast.

These drills will check the siren equipment and monitor sound coverage throughout the valley. At the designated time, outdoor warning sirens will wail for approximately one minute. The All Hazards Alert Broadcast sirens are located in Fife, Orting, McMillan, Puyallup, Riverside, Alderton, and Sumner.

Sirens are located in the following Sumner locations:

  • 15502 96th St. E. along the Sumner-Orting Highway
  • Sumner High School, 1707 Main St., in Sumner
  • Sumner Industrial District North, 24th St. E. and 142nd Ave. E., in Sumner

To coincide with these drills, Emergency Management will test its other new program, Pierce County ALERT. This new system is a mass communication tool that allows the County to contact residents and businesses during emergencies or other significant events. Several days prior to the siren drill, Emergency Management will call residents of the Puyallup Valley to remind them about the test. (Puyallup residents will be notified by their own mass notification system.

County residents and businesses can "opt-in" to receive messages from Pierce County Emergency Management online.

Lahar Evacuation Routes

March 21, 2024 Drill Routes: