VANCOUVER, Wash. -- Seth Moran of the US Geological Survey and Pierce County officials are working to improve the volcano and lahar warning system.
The system is meant to warn people in the Puyallup River Valley about a volcanic disaster from the Mt. Rainier Volcano.
Moran works out if the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver. Right now they are installing more monitoring equipment in Mt. Rainier, but Moran says what they learn up north will be applied to Mount St. Helens as well.
St. Helens had a large lahar system in the 1980 eruption. However the lahar hazard at Rainier impacts more communities. That’s why new instruments are going in there now.
The equipment can be viewed this weekend during an open house at the Cascades Volcano Observatory. The event is on May 12 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.