Officials with the territory's Emergency Measures Organization are joining their counterparts in Alaska and British Columbia to prepare for the possible eruption of the Mount Redoubt volcano near Anchorage.

"Right now, it's sort of in watch mode," Michael Templeton, manager of EMO for the territory, told the Star this morning.

Conference calls between the agencies involved have taken place in the last couple of days, with plans being dusted off to get ready for any impacts from the eruption.

The volcano, about 166 kilometres southwest of Anchorage, has been showing signs of minor activity since last fall.

In November, changes in emissions and some minor melting near the summit were noticed by geologists and the threat level was increased from green to yellow.

Most recently, it was upgraded to orange, which indicates it's just before an eruption, after earthquake activity below the volcano increased.

Whether the impending eruption will affect the Yukon remains unknown, Templeton said.

Volcanic ash has been known to travel thousands of kilometres, but just how far and what direction it takes depends on factors like the height of the smoke plume coming from the volcano and the direction of the wind.

"We don't know what's going to happen," Templeton said.

Officials are keeping a close eye on the Alaska Volcano Observatory web site, which provides continued updates on any activity at Redoubt and the possible directions of ash based on the weather forecast and different heights for the smoke plume.

"Seismic activity at Redoubt continues at an elevated level and is well above background levels. The volcano has not erupted," notes the latest update on the web site at http://www.avo.alaska.edu/activity/Redoubt.php.

One of the major concerns for officials is the possibility of ash ending up in the flight path of aircraft.

NavCanada and Transport Canada deal with notifying any Canadian flights that may be affected by a volcanic eruption.

While all aircraft are currently aware of the situation at Redoubt, Templeton said, aircraft in the air at the time of an eruption would be notified over the radio.

Should Redoubt erupt, protocol would see Alaska officials contact staff with officials in British Columbia, who would then contact the Yukon.

As Templeton explained, the B.C. agency is initially contacted because it has a larger number of staff around the clock. Though Yukon EMO officials are on-call 24/7, calls after hours typically go through an answering service to get to the staffer on-call, he said.

"They have a bigger organization," he said.

The last time, the territory was affected by a volcano was in 1992, when an eruption closer to the border saw parts of the Alaska Highway closed due to falling ash, Templeton said.