Several towns in East Pierce County will have backed-up roads during a lahar drill on April 23.
The 2026 Regional Lahar Evacuation Drill is the largest lahar evacuation drill in the world, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The East Pierce Interlocal Coalition Emergency Management team runs it, and consists of the Puyallup, Sumner-Bonney Lake, Orting, White River and Carbonado school districts.
For three hours, school districts will evacuate students along lahar evacuation routes in preparation for an eruption of Mount Rainier, which would plug the roads…