BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago

Subject: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Genie
Date: 19 May 10 - 01:15 AM

Today (May 18, 2010) is the 30th anniversary of the big eruption of Mt St Helens, in Washington state, about 100 miles from Portland, Oregon.

My memories of that are very vivid, and while nature has been busy regenerating a lot of vegetation, the area is still nowhere what it was back then in terms of the size of trees and forests.   And the mountain is still active, with smaller eruptions in the process of rebuilding the dome that went up in smoke and ash back in 1980, after being built up for about 100 years.

With the Icelandic volcano wreaking such havoc on European and other international air travel, it's worth noting that if the winds had been blowing in some other directions on that morning in 1980, there could have been pretty big disruptions of air travel then too. As it was, when St Helens dumped ash on the highways that spring, it caused major disruptions and accidents, etc. And 57 people died as a direct result of the ash and/or the flooding that quickly ensued after the eruption.

Oregon Public Broadcasting is running a very good special about that eruption today.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Leadfingers
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:16 AM

The wind and weather have been a bigger proportion of the problems for air travel this time than at the time of Mount Saint Helens

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Amergin
Date: 19 May 10 - 07:03 AM

I was living in North Idaho at the time....me and my grandparents were on our way to Spokane for an air show at Fairchilds Air Force Base....I remember the post apocalyptic visions...the masks, and how everything turned dark.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 19 May 10 - 01:39 PM

MSNBC has a short slide show (11 pictures) at Mount St Helens: Then and Now.

(The pics are all "then." None "now." But there are a couple that didn't show up "then" in my local news.)

John

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: gnu
Date: 19 May 10 - 02:15 PM

Hard to imagine the violence of the eruption. Large trees laid down like toothpicks 30 miles away. And the pics of large trees snapped off a few feet above ground near the blast stun me.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 19 May 10 - 02:17 PM

NPR pointed to the National Geographic slideshow for the anniversary.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 May 10 - 02:48 PM

I just read that the winter after the eruption was bitterly cold. I didn't make the connection at the time. I worry that we will have bitter cold next year, following the eruption in Iceland.

It was cold because volcanic ash in the atmosphere reflects sunlight back into space.

If you are on a tight budget, start saving for a hard winter.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: gnu
Date: 19 May 10 - 03:21 PM

I thought global swarming would take care of the volcanoes.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Bill D
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:25 PM

The Iceland eruption won't affect global temps.... it is pretty small for that...so far.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: beardedbruce
Date: 19 May 10 - 04:32 PM

But the last time it erupted, it lasted 13 months.

I think that was back in 1840 something.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: open mike
Date: 19 May 10 - 05:51 PM

i saw a you tube video by a news man who caught amazing video,
and narrowly missed death Dave Crockett....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njV9ski1gB4

here are some other posts..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBJ9xZws7ro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRnVhbfIKQ

http://www.boston.com/news/specials/05_18_10_mt_st_helens_30_years_after/

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/mount_st_helens_30_years_ago.html

music...a song about the fellow Harry Truman who died
at spirit lake lodge..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGwa3N43GB4&feature=related

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Don Firth
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:33 PM

I was working for Ma Bell at the time, as an operator. I had just plugged in (8:30 a.m.) and two minutes later, St. Helens blew. It had been gurgling and rumbling for some time, and it was being watched pretty carefully. Mt. Baker, in northern Washington, had done the same thing not that long before (triggering bumper stickers in Bellingham, not that far from the mountain, saying "Vote NO on Mt. Baker eruption!"). Baker finally stopped rumbling and venting steam, so it was expected (hoped) that St. Helens would do the same.

But no. At 8:32 a.m., she blew. Within a couple of minutes, the entire telephone system was jammed. Bulletins were going out over the radio and television telling people to stay off the telephones in the hope that emergency calls could get through.

The vast majority of calls were in the nature of "Wow! I'm watching it on TV! Isn't that something!?" and "How is it out your way, Aunt Martha?" People kept dialing operators, wanting emergency interrupts because they were getting what they thought were busy signals, when actually it was a similar signal, but much faster, which meant "busy circuits." Too many calls for the system to handle. Not even the operators can do anything about that, so even if it had been an emergency call, nothing could be done.

Which meant, of course, that real emergency calls couldn't get through either!

Operators are supposed to be polite to customers, but on that day, just plain rude was about the only way one could handle some people. "Look! Even if Aunt Martha is in trouble, there's nothing you can do about it anyway. So do what the emergency agencies are telling you to do and stay off the phone!"

Helluva day at Ma Bell's Skunk Works!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Genie
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:37 PM

Dave Crockett: Escaping from the 1980 St. Helens Eruption

here are some other posts..
Mount St. Helens Erupting

Two news clips of Mt St Helens eruption 30 years ago

TTwo videos of the eruption and aftermath

Boston.com: Mount St. Helens, 30 years ago

music...a song about the fellow Harry Truman who died
at spirit lake lodge..
The Ballad Of Harry Truman (R Stone) and footage of the mountain before and after the big eruption

Video Essay: Life Returns 30 Yrs. After Eruption

"THE MAN AND THE MOUNTAIN" (song composed 5-18-1980) with photos of Harry Truman and the mountain

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: gnu
Date: 19 May 10 - 06:56 PM

I have a high speed connection and such vids won't load at YT. Maybe later... a few days later.

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: Genie
Date: 19 May 10 - 07:36 PM

Some videos at YT are loading slowly for me today too, but not all of them. DK what's up.

BTW, since some of the YouTube videos are musical ones, with songs about Mt St Helens and/or the Spirit Lodge caretaker, Harry Truman, I posted a thread in the music section for songs like that:
Mt St Helens eruption, Harry Truman songs

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: open mike
Date: 19 May 10 - 10:58 PM

thanks for the blickification..

Subject: RE: BS: Mt St Helens big eruption 30 years ago
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 20 May 10 - 08:51 PM

"The Iceland eruption won't affect global temps.... it is pretty small for that...so far."

Thanks, Bill. I sure hope so.