Lahar Evacuation & Response Plan

Lahar exercise set for April 23

WHAT

In our ongoing commitment to safety and preparedness, the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District is participating in a regional lahar exercise, which is designed to test and improve the ability to evacuate or shelter students and staff in the event of an incoming lahar from Mount Rainier. The drill is only for schools, not the general public or surrounding residences. 

WHEN

The lahar exercise will begin at 9 am on Thursday, April 23 with some staggered start times for operational effectiveness.  There will some rolling road closures in downtown Sumner. 

HOW 

All schools will participate by either evacuating or sheltering in place, depending on their location in the valley or on the hill.

Evacuation (valley)

• Schools/programs in the Sumner valley 
• Under staff supervision, with assistance from local police personnel, K-12 students will follow a designated evacuation route on flat, paved sidewalks with one street lane closed
• Students will complete about 80 percent of the route, stopping before gaining significant elevation with an end at the Gordon Family YMCA 
• Buses will transport students back to their school where they’ll complete the remainder of their school day as normal. Total time for the drill is approximately one hour 

Shelter in place (hill)

• Schools/programs on the hill in Bonney Lake 
• Students will shelter in place by remaining at school inside their classroom
• Teachers have the option to deliver lahar-related lessons and activities, sharing more about lahars and what to expect should we experience one 
• The shelter-in-place drill should last no longer than five minutes

WHO

Coordinated by the East Pierce Interlocal Coalition Emergency Management Team, participants in this regional lahar evacuation exercise include these surrounding school districts, cities, towns and emergency management agencies: 

SBLSD has worked closely with the Sumner Police and Public Works departments to coordinate this exercise to ensure the utmost safety of everyone involved. We value our strong partnerships with law enforcement and emergency management agencies in preparedness activities all year long. 

WHY 

Mount Rainier is beautiful, but it’s also an active volcano. The US Geological Survey predicts that a lahar event could occur in the next 500 to 1,000 years. While we hope that doesn’t happen in our lifetime, everyone in our area should be prepared just in case. 

Teaching the next generation of Pierce County residents how to prepare for a lahar is critical. This exercise, deemed to be the largest full-scale drill in the nation, will familiarize students with evacuation routes and give them the practice and knowledge to be prepared for a real-life evacuation. 

MORE INFO

To see a lahar evacuation exercise in action, watch this video from our district’s drill in 2022.

Coordinated by the East Pierce Interlocal Coalition Emergency Management Team, four other school districts will participate in the biennial lahar exercise, which is noted as the largest exercise of its kind worldwide. Learn more about the regional effort.