Following the 2008 Chaitén eruption, approximately 6,000 people were affected, predominantly from the towns of Chaitén and Futaleufu; (Leonard et al., 2009). Prior to the initial eruption, some residents Chaitén, 10 km from the volcano, self-evacuated due to the earthquakes. Evacuations from Chaitén occurred via boat, as there were only two gravel roads into the township. Many people only packed for a few days, leaving behind pets and most possessions resulting in stress and trauma for some people.
The town of Chaitén was initially out of bounds before trips to collect possessions were organized. Due to risk from lahars, resettlement of the original town was strongly discouraged and a nearby site was selected for the relocation of Chaitén town.
This eruption resulted in significant damage to the affected regions, which are still suffering from these impacts today. Lahars and ash remobilization making some areas still unusable, and most of which is predominantly used for agricultural purposes.
With ongoing ash remobilization, some farmland is still deemed uneconomical to return to. This adds a large financial and welfare strain to those impacted.
Few accounts exist discussing the methods used to stabilize and restrict ash deposits across both Chile and Argentina (Wilson et al., 2012a).