Experts can be a bit depressing.

A friend of my father's in the 1960s was the NZ government's chief vulcanologist for the Rotorua area (centre of the North Island, one of the most active volcanic regions in the world). He kept his car with the tank absolutely full, the garage door open, made sure his wife had a spare set of keys, and had shovels and planks in the boot. I think his estimate was that they'd have at most half an hour's warning to run like hell.