Volcanoes, hot lava and insurance claims

If you're in Oregon, Alaska, California, Washington and Wyoming, as well as Hawaii, you too could be at risk from volcanic eruptions and their aftermath.

According to United States Geological Survey, a new fissure erupted in the evening of May 5, 2018, beginning with small spattering at about 8:44 p.m. local time. By 9:00 p.m., as seen from Luana Street in Leilani Estates subdivision on Kilauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone, lava fountains as high as about 230 ft were erupting from the fissure. (Photo: US Geological Survey)

Kilauea volcano is erupting on Hawaii’s Big Island causing, and threatening to cause, damage in many areas. Residents were advised to evacuate on May 3, and they were told to expect to be out of their homes for at least two weeks.

According to recent reports, the number of homes destroyed by lava shooting out of 10 openings in the ground created by has climbed to at least 26, and five other structures have also been destroyed.

Volcanoes are spectacular and are one of the more unusual claims as they tend to occur only in certain states. In addition to Hawaii, the states at risk for volcano damage are Oregon, Alaska, California, Washington and Wyoming, due to their location along certain tectonic plates. There are 500 active volcanoes throughout the world, 500 dormant and many extinct. For a volcano to be considered active, it must have had an eruption within recorded history.

Related: Disaster proof your pocketbook in 3 steps

A host of hazards

Lava, smoke and ash are the first things that come to mind when volcanoes are mentioned, but there are other hazards as well. Earthquakes, flash floods, mudslides, rock falls and explosions can all cause damage from a volcano. Even though the damage is caused by a volcano, land shock waves or tremors, before, during or after a volcanic eruption, mudslides and flash floods are excluded, but fire is covered.

Rock falls pose an interesting situation. When the lava is molten and moving through an area, it isn’t earth movement, as lava is molten rock, not earth. Earth is defined in part as cultivable soil or firm land. Once the lava has hardened, however, it becomes rock; if it then rolls down a hill and destroys property, it would then be excluded.

Under debris removal, the removal of ash, dust or particles from a volcanic eruption is covered as long as the ash, dust or particles cause a direct loss to the property. If enough ash accumulates on the roof to cause it to collapse, then the cost to remove the ash as well as repair the roof is covered.

Dry ash is 10 times as dense as fresh snow, and wet ash is 20 times as dense as fresh snow. When Mt. St. Helens erupted, ash accumulated in some areas up to five inches. Gutters can be filled with ash and pulled off the house, and ash can clog equipment. If the ash just accumulates on the walkway, that has caused no direct damage and therefore removal would not be covered.

Related: Flying high after catastrophes — drones provide critical ‘eyes’ to assess property damage

Volcano Explosivity Index

The Volcano Explosivity Index is a relative measure of the explosiveness of volcanic eruptions. It measures how much material is ejected, how high the material is thrown into the atmosphere, and how often eruptions occur. On a scale from 0 to 8, the index reads as follows:

0 = non-explosive; plume height <100 m; daily. Kilauea

1 = gentle; plume 100–1000 m; daily. Stromboli

2 = explosive; plume 1–5 km; every 2 weeks. Galeras, 1993

3 = severe; 3–15 km; yearly. Ruiz, 1985

4 = cataclysmic; plume 10–25 km; 10s of years. Galunggung 1982

5 = paroxysmal; plume > 25 km; 100s of years. St. Helens, 1981

6 = colossal; > 25 km; 100s of years. Krakatau, 1883

7 = super-colossal; .25 km; 1000s of years, Tambora, 1815

8 = mega-colossal; > 25 km; 10,000s of years. Yellowstone, Pleistocene era.

Related: Lessons learned from the 2017 CAT season

Volcano preparation steps

There are things you can do to prepare for a volcano.

Related: Hurricane season ahead: Keys to disaster preparedness & recovery for businesses