At over 14,411 feet high, Mount Rainier dominates the skyline of the southern Puget Sound region. This glacier-clad potentially active volcano is capable of spewing ash from pyroclastic eruptions, and generating large volumes of lahars and floods which have, in the recent geologic past, inundated various watersheds and reached the shores of Puget Sound significantly altering pre-flood conditions. The purpose of this Chapter is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of Pierce County by providing standards that minimize the loss of life that may occur as a result of volcanic events emanating from Mount Rainier.