Volcano Preparedness Drill Evacuates Entire Town, Nobody Notices Actual Minor Eruption Happening Simultaneously

A volcano preparedness drill in the town of Chaiten, Chile, coincided with an actual minor eruption of the nearby volcano of the same name, with neither emergency officials nor residents distinguishing between the simulated and real events for approximately two hours. 'The drill was scheduled for 10 AM,' said Civil Protection Director Miguel Lahar. 'At 10:14 AM, the volcano produced a small phreatic explosion and an ash column. Everyone assumed it was an impressive special effect. Several people complimented the realism.' The drill, which involved the simulated evacuation of 4,500 residents to a designated safety zone 15 kilometers from the volcano, was proceeding according to plan when the actual eruption occurred. Sirens were already sounding, roads were already closed, and residents were already in their vehicles. 'In one sense, the drill was a tremendous success,' said Lahar. 'The town was fully evacuated within 90 minutes, which is 30 minutes faster than our target. In another sense, it was a failure, because we evacuated for the drill and not for the eruption, and the fact that we couldn't tell the difference is, upon reflection, concerning.' The eruption was classified as VEI 1 — a minor event producing an ash column of approximately 2 kilometers. No damage was reported, partly because the town was already empty. 'We had the best possible outcome for the worst possible reason,' said volcanologist Dr. Catalina Ceniza, who was observing the drill from the monitoring station. 'The town was evacuated. The eruption was minor. And the institutional lesson is that our drill was so good it was indistinguishable from a real volcanic event. I am choosing to view this as a compliment.' The next drill has been scheduled for a day when the volcano is, per Dr. Ceniza's recommendation, 'absolutely confirmed to not be doing anything.'