Human and Structural Vulnerability to Volcanic Processes

The main value of studying buildings in the aftermath of eruptions is that their damaged or destroyed remains preserve the record of the fleeting destructive forces involved. Forensic investigation of any tragic human victims can add importantly to the evidence. Using these insights from some recent major eruptions, computer modeling has advanced enough to begin to successfully simulate the eruptive dynamics in some examples and provide confidence in developing more powerful methods to illuminate future emergency planning and mitigation measures for buildings and people. Quan- tifying the vulnerability of building stock in areas of future volcanic hazard and to provide this necessary input to scenario development are an integral part of this multidisciplinary scientific task.