The Volcano Disaster Assistance Program was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance after the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in 1985 that killed 23,000 people. The program responds to selected volcanic crises around the world, to assist in saving lives and property and to reduce economic losses.
When Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and U.S. Geological Survey had monitored the volcano. With the help of the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program's crisis-response team, about 75,000 people and US$250 million to $375 million worth of equipment were evacuated before the major eruption.
Famous quotes containing the words volcano, disaster, assistance and/or program:
“It would be idle to say that we were not, from time to time, aware that a volcano slumbered fitfully beneath us. There were dark sides to the Slavery Question, for master, as for slave.”
—Marion Harland (1830–1922)
“When wine is spilled with accident, death and disaster hasten.”
—Joseph O’Donnell. Clifford Sanforth. Ah Ling, Murder by Television, after he accidentally spills wine on Mrs. Houghland (1935)
“But a problem occurs about nothing. For that from which something is made is a cause of the thing made from it; and, necessarily, every cause contributes some assistance to the effect’s existence.”
—Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109)
“[T]he minister preached a sermon on Jonah and the whale, at the end of which an old chief arose and declared, “We have heard several of the white people talk and lie; we know they will lie, but this is the biggest lie we ever heard.””
—Administration in the State of Miss, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)