Nearly 300,000 people in Alaska have been told to prepare for a possible volcano eruption with fears that Mount Spurr will blow after dozens of earthquakes have been recorded
Panic buying has hit fever pitch in Alaska as fears of a massive volcanic eruption send thousands scrambling for essentials. Nearly 300,000 locals are on tenterhooks as Mount Spurr, near Anchorage, threatens to erupt after a flurry of earthquakes.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory warns that “volcanic unrest persists,” following around “’55 earthquakes in the last week.”
Mount Spurr, a mere 81 miles from Anchorage, has locals on high alert as the threat of eruption looms large. This has triggered a rush for batteries, pet food and protective gear.
Cloe Turner, who spent nearly £400 at Costco getting in the essential goods, admitted she is preparing for the worse ahead of the looming natural disaster, reports the Mirror.
“We might not be able to work, and stores might not open,’ she said. ‘The last time something like this happened, the city was blanketed in ash for an entire month.”
Another Anchorage resident took to TikTok to say she rushed to Walmart to get “weird and random” items to help protect her family from the impending disaster. “So a volcano is supposed to erupt in Anchorage, Alaska.
“Am I prepared for said volcano? No. I’m here at Walmart today buying all of the things that I need to protect me from volcanic ash pouring all over the city,” the user said while walking inside a Walmart store. Some of these items are so weird and random, but they serve a genius purpose, people are very clever when it comes to this stuff.”
She was also seen purchasing pairs of swimmer’s goggles to “protect our eyes” as volcanic ash can irriate the nose, throat and eyes. It can cause serious health issues for people with asthma, other forms of lung disease and severe heart problems, the International Volcanic Health Hazard Network (IVHHN) said.
While another local resident took to social media to share tips for people with contact lenses if they encouter volcanic ash. “I saw a post circulating on Facebook yesterday and it had some tips and tricks I haven’t seen before so I wanted to share them with you,! a user posted on TikTok.
“If you wear contact lenses you need to remove them immediately when [the volcano] erupts’ the user warned, adding that “the ash will tear your eyes up.”
The advice comes as experts at the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) warned multiple earthquakes had been recorded in the last week. It said: “Unrest continues at Mount Spurr volcano. Seismicity remains elevated with occasional small, shallow volcanic earthquakes detected beneath the volcano over the past day.
“AVO continues monitoring activity at Mount Spurr for signals indicating that the volcano is moving closer to an eruption.”
Meanwhile, the US Geological Survey (USGS) has detected hundreds of small tremors within a 30-mile radius of the volcano since the start of the month.
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