Question: If a supervolcano were to erupt in the next 10 years how would you deal with the catastrophe?

James Verdon answered on 25 Jun 2012:

That’s a tough question greenapple,
The main supervolcanoes are not in Europe, so we’d probably be spared the most immediate effects of the blast and pyroclastic flows. But the main problem would be the dust and ash ejected into the atmosphere. These would block out the sun, reducing global temperatures and affecting all the crops we grow for food.

A huge eruption at Tambora, in Indonesia, in 1815, caused exactly these problems. It’s known as the year without summer. Because of the reduced sunlight, summer temperatures were much lower than usual, and crops failed, leading to famines. These effects lasted about a year, until all the ash and dust was washed from the atmosphere by rains. There are volcanoes that could erupt that are bigger than Tambora, so the effects would be even more severe and last for longer.

So if there were a supervolcano now, the most important thing, after helping the survivors of the initial blast, would be to prioritise food production and distribution. Find the areas that are still warm enough to grow food, and make sure the food is distributed fairly around the world to those who need it.