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Benefits of volcano monitoring far outweigh costs - the case of Mount Pinatubo

January 1, 1997

The climactic June 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, was the largest volcanic eruption in this century to affect a heavily populated area. Because it was forecast by scientists from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and the U.S. Geological Survey, civil and military leaders were able to order massive evacuations and take measures to protect property before the eruption. Thousands of lives were saved and hundreds of millions of dollars in property losses averted. The savings in property alone were many times the total costs of the forecasting and evacuations.

Publication Year 1997
Title Benefits of volcano monitoring far outweigh costs - the case of Mount Pinatubo
DOI 10.3133/fs11597
Authors Chris G. Newhall, James W. Hendley, Peter H. Stauffer
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Fact Sheet
Series Number 115-97
Index ID fs11597
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Volcano Hazards Program
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