Post memories and stories here, please. I’ll post more this evening. So exiting to see enthusiasm for this topic!
Mount Saint Helens, May 18, 1980
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Sunday morning, Abbotsford, BC. For those of you who don't know our area at all, Abbotsford is just across the border from Washington State, about 40 miles east of Vancouver, BC.
My son (almost 4 at the time) was at the table, eating his breakfast with my husband and myself. Being Sunday, we were getting ready for church. My baby daughter (just three months old) was still asleep in her crib. Suddenly, we heard a low, but loud, boom. My husband and I looked at each other and agreed it must have been a scheduled blast on one of the local hills, preparation for construction of a new residential area. My son vehemently shook his head and said, "Volcano, it was a volcano". Uh huh. As grown ups, we nodded sagely and agreed that it could have been but was, more than likely, blasting on Sumas Mtn. Little did we know that my son was absolutely right.
Fast forward to our church service and the first words out of the pastor's mouth were, "There was a massive volcano this morning in Washington State; Mt. St. Helens erupted and its entire top was blown away". He continued on to tell us what he knew from early news stories. My husband and I just looked at each other, stunned... How on earth did our almost 4 year know?? (It wasn't the first time he'd said things that later turned out to be true, things he had no way of knowing.)
We had planned a mini vacation down to San Francisco for the following day. The kids were to spend the week with family and we had the week to ourselves. We weren't sure we'd even be able to go and followed the news and road reports closely; we did go but it was pretty dicey in areas closer to the blast zone. Roads were opened and closed as needed. The devastation was crazy - the Toutle River was jammed with logs felled by the blast, ash everywhere, in some places so thick it looked like snow. Driving through, our car was covered in a thick coat of it. Everything was grey. I'll never forget the grey, all the ash and dust. Trees were covered in it, the ground was covered in it, houses were covered in it. The entire area around the Toutle River, and where it met the highway was blanketed in that fine grey dust.
Core memories were made that day and I've always looked at my son a little differently since then.
Sunday morning, Abbotsford, BC. For those of you who don't know our area at all, Abbotsford is just across the border from Washington State, about 40 miles east of Vancouver, BC.
My son (almost 4 at the time) was at the table, eating his breakfast with my husband and myself. Being Sunday, we were getting ready for church. My baby daughter (just three months old) was still asleep in her crib. Suddenly, we heard a low, but loud, boom. My husband and I looked at each other and agreed it must have been a scheduled blast on one of the local hills, preparation for construction of a new residential area. My son vehemently shook his head and said, "Volcano, it was a volcano". Uh huh. As grown ups, we nodded sagely and agreed that it could have been but was, more than likely, blasting on Sumas Mtn. Little did we know that my son was absolutely right.
Fast forward to our church service and the first words out of the pastor's mouth were, "There was a massive volcano this morning in Washington State; Mt. St. Helens erupted and its entire top was blown away". He continued on to tell us what he knew from early news stories. My husband and I just looked at each other, stunned... How on earth did our almost 4 year know?? (It wasn't the first time he'd said things that later turned out to be true, things he had no way of knowing.)
We had planned a mini vacation down to San Francisco for the following day. The kids were to spend the week with family and we had the week to ourselves. We weren't sure we'd even be able to go and followed the news and road reports closely; we did go but it was pretty dicey in areas closer to the blast zone. Roads were opened and closed as needed. The devastation was crazy - the Toutle River was jammed with logs felled by the blast, ash everywhere, in some places so thick it looked like snow. Driving through, our car was covered in a thick coat of it. Everything was grey. I'll never forget the grey, all the ash and dust. Trees were covered in it, the ground was covered in it, houses were covered in it. The entire area around the Toutle River, and where it met the highway was blanketed in that fine grey dust.
Core memories were made that day and I've always looked at my son a little differently since then.
I've been reading about the eruption online, and the articles mark a timeline from March through the eruption in May, of earthquakes and volcanic activity, including smaller eruptions leading up to the main event. So scientists knew something was coming, but were those happenings on the news throughout the US and Canada? Was the eruption a complete surprise to the general population?
So this is a bit weird, but I seriously don't remember it. I'm gen x so you'd think I would but I was only four when it blew. My mum said she remembered all the ash covering absolutely everything. She said everything was all grey. I don't know if they were expecting it or not, she never said. And dad has never talked about it.
Four is pretty young for remembering things... Where was your family living at the time?
Southern Alberta Canada. About an hour and a half from the American border. Means we weren't all that far from Washington. Maybe a five hour drive from the mountain?
It was a complete surprise to us. I don't remember seeing or hearing anything about it and my then-husband was a news junkie. A lot of the TV channels we watched were out of the US. We could see Mt. Baker (an extinct volcano in the same mountain chain) from our front window and we would often see puffs of steam from one of the vents so we knew that it was an active area but, for us, it came out of the blue.
I grew up in south west Washington, about a three hour drive from the mountain. I was 15 at the time of the eruption. Mountain activity was often on the news in the months preceding the eruption. Evacuation orders had been in place for a while and Harry Truman refused to comply. He was an 83 year old guy who lived on the banks of Spirit Lake and said he would die before leaving. That took up a lot of the reporting and kept the story in the news. As weeks passed people became more and more unhappy about the evacuation orders. They convinced officials to allow them in to get their possessions and were allowed a weekend to go in, pack what they want and get out. Unfortunately that’s the weekend the mountain erupted. 57 people were killed the day the mountain erupted. Most of whom had been evacuated and let back in.
Soon after the eruption we began to notice debris in the Columbia River which was about 5 miles from our home. Quickly the river filled up with trees and sediment. If I remember correctly, the initial ash plume was to the east of the mountain but at one point the wings shifted towards us. My mom was a cook at a local nursing home and on her way to work at 5 am. Ash began accumulating on her car and she stopped at a friends to use the phone and let us know to get the horse inside. She was so discombobulated that when our friend answered the door she said “There’s mud on my car”. They worked it out but there was certainly some confusion initially. That story was often laughed about.
@Misschief in your drive did you encounter truckers driving abreast blocking all lanes to regulate speed and reduce the amount of ash stirred up? That was a story I heard but it may have only been the first day or two.
A few months after the eruption people were allowed back in the area and a few friends and I drove up as far as we were allowed. The Toutle River was completely packed with log jams. Ash was so thick that cars were covered with just their roofs exposed. When we got to an area where we could see the side of the mountain we saw where the blast energy had stripped branches off trees leaving only the trunks standing. It was unlike anything I have seen before or since and really left an impression about the power of nature.
Many years later, several visitors centers were constructed on the way to the mountain. My little brother was involved with the construction of the center that is furthest away from the mountain. At this time I was living in North Carolina. On a visit home we took a family trip to the mountain and visitors center. It is very well done and I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area. Many items are made with ash from the mountain including this ornament that is displayed in my home.
Soon after the eruption we began to notice debris in the Columbia River which was about 5 miles from our home. Quickly the river filled up with trees and sediment. If I remember correctly, the initial ash plume was to the east of the mountain but at one point the wings shifted towards us. My mom was a cook at a local nursing home and on her way to work at 5 am. Ash began accumulating on her car and she stopped at a friends to use the phone and let us know to get the horse inside. She was so discombobulated that when our friend answered the door she said “There’s mud on my car”. They worked it out but there was certainly some confusion initially. That story was often laughed about.
@Misschief in your drive did you encounter truckers driving abreast blocking all lanes to regulate speed and reduce the amount of ash stirred up? That was a story I heard but it may have only been the first day or two.
A few months after the eruption people were allowed back in the area and a few friends and I drove up as far as we were allowed. The Toutle River was completely packed with log jams. Ash was so thick that cars were covered with just their roofs exposed. When we got to an area where we could see the side of the mountain we saw where the blast energy had stripped branches off trees leaving only the trunks standing. It was unlike anything I have seen before or since and really left an impression about the power of nature.
Many years later, several visitors centers were constructed on the way to the mountain. My little brother was involved with the construction of the center that is furthest away from the mountain. At this time I was living in North Carolina. On a visit home we took a family trip to the mountain and visitors center. It is very well done and I highly recommend a visit if you are ever in the area. Many items are made with ash from the mountain including this ornament that is displayed in my home.
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I was living in western Washington at the time, near Bremerton. From my house I could see Mount Ranier, another Washington state volcano. (There are more) It was no surprise when it blew. Maybe the news covered it more because it was in our state. In fact, the world was watching and waiting. Family members in Europe were calling me to make sure I was safe. They were seeing reports on TV and were very worried about me. I saw arial pictures of it before it was active and shortly before it blew. There was an amazing bulge on one side. When it blew it was out the side, not up on top like you see in movies. That incredible force went across the state, scoured and destroyed everything in its path.
About 10 years ago My hubby and I went to the visitor center and it was amazing how things grew again and the wildlife slowly returned. I recommend a visit.
About 10 years ago My hubby and I went to the visitor center and it was amazing how things grew again and the wildlife slowly returned. I recommend a visit.
Not that I can recall. I do remember flashing road signs warning people to slow down. And, I do remember that you couldn't help but go slowly because we really wanted to see it all. And I do recall the Toutle River being really high; there was worry that it would overflow at any moment; that slowed traffic as well.
