A volcano starts rumbling,
and suddenly erupts.
But instead of seeing lava trickling down,
you see a massive cloud of ash
quickly coming towards you.
This isn't just any regular volcano explosion.
Instead, it's a pyroclastic flow.
It can wipe out entire cities in minutes,
killing thousands of people.
And now, one is coming for you.
Every time a volcano erupts,
there's a chance of a pyroclastic flow.
It can happen when a volcano is damaged
during an eruption,
or the lava shoots upwards,
and then collapses.
When this happens,
a massive avalanche of smoke
comes tumbling down the volcano.
It's made of ash, rocks,
and poisonous gases that can move
up to 700 km/h (450 mp/h).
I know, the odds of surviving this episode
may seem impossible.
But believe it or not,
people have managed to survive a pyroclastic flow.
If you're near an active volcano,
and you see a pyroclastic flow,
you need to start moving immediately.
Hop in your car,
and follow the evacuation instructions.
A pyroclastic flow
is a lot more dangerous than a lava flow,
since it can travel up to 100 km (62 mi) away
from its original position.
So start driving fast if you want to survive this.
You should still be driving your car at this point,
but if the pyroclastic flow gets near you,
you'll begin to feel the heat.
These things can be as hot
as 700 °C (1,300 °F).
In order to help you survive this heat,
you'll want to put on some protective gear.
Luckily for you,
the University of Missouri
has been developing suits
to withstand the heat of volcanoes.
It uses flame resistant Kevlar®
and breathable fabric.
Wearing this will help you withstand
the incredibly hot temperatures.
If you can't get far enough away
to avoid the flow,
then you're going to need to find shelter.
And we're not talking about a house or a building.
A pyroclastic flow can
easily wipe those out.
You'll want to find an underground bunker,
cave, or even a parking garage
if you can go down to a low enough floor.
This is how a prisoner survived a
pyroclastic flow in 1902.
While an entire city was being burned,
Ludger Sylbaris sat in an
underground jail cell with bomb-proof walls.
Days later,
he was found underground
with severe burns all over his body,
but he managed to survive.
Although this won't completely protect you
from the heat and the gases,
it's still your best strategy for staying alive.
While you're in your shelter,
your first instinct may be to hop out quickly.
After all,
being inside this shelter will be incredibly hot,
and there's a chance that ash can leak in,
making it difficult to breathe.
But if possible,
try not to leave your shelter right away.
If you think it's bad inside your shelter,
imagine what it will be like outside.
Expect to find destroyed buildings,
massive fires everywhere,
and ash so thick you can barely see.
These are just a few of the things
you'll have to worry about.
Once a day or so passes,
you should be able to leave your shelter safely.
Congratulations!
You didn't die.
But that doesn't mean you're
walking out of this unscathed.
While you were in that bunker,
you likely suffered severe burns all over your body,
due to the heat of the pyroclastic flow.
Not only that, but
you'll also experience breathing problems
from inhaling the ash.
As soon as you leave your bunker,
you'll need to go to a hospital immediately.
There, they can treat your burns
and any other injuries you might have.
Sure, you've managed to survive this scenario,
but it wasn't without consequences.
These burns and lung issues
might last for the rest of your life.
Is there a way to avoid all this?
Well, listen to instructions
if an active volcano is about to explode.
Usually, we're pretty good at predicting these things,
and can make sure people are far enough away
from the explosion so that no one gets injured.
That way,
you can still see the incredible sights
without getting burned.
Now that you've managed to survive this,
why don't you try surviving a tsunami?
Don't worry, we'll be here to walk you through it
on How to Survive.