May 18, 1980 - Mt. St. Helen's eruption

   By Stefanie Giles 

"Here is a seven year old take on what happened May 18, 1980.

I was sitting, in my Sunday dress, on the living-room carpet. There was a sudden underground vibration that I could actually feel through the floor. I didn't have an explanation for it so I ignored it. We arrived at church, classes went on as normal. Things got strange when the sky darkened and the sunlight was blotted out mid-afternoon. There were mixed reactions. Some recognized it as a sign of a natural disaster. Others were wondering if they were about to witness a scriptural re occurrence. Church was canceled and surgical masks were distributed for the return trip home. By now ash was falling from the sky and no one wanted to take a chance that it might be toxic. Cars became stranded on the road. I later learned it was a result of the filter getting blocked by the ash. Ingenuity struck the imaginations of some and they corrected this problem by placing panty hose over the filter to prevent blockage. The next day, when the sun made its appearance again, to the relief of many, ash lay 3-4 inches thick like a blanket of dirty snow! This is when community members worked together to hose down yards, sidewalks, and streets. Neighbors spent hours helping with the cleanup project. Sandwiches were brought out to feed the volunteers and children made the most of it by playing in the "volcanic snow". Anything from ash angels to unsuccessful ash ball fights because ash does not pack well at all. Still to
this day, if one digs deep enough in their gardens and fields, one will spot an ashy reminder of that day!"

photo from the internet

            Do you remember where you were when Mt. St. Helens erupted?   My daughter said she remembers it vividly and she was only seven years old.  

           I remember it quite vividly too.  It was early Sunday morning and the three older children had gone to church with Eva, a friend, while I remained home with Angie who was sick. Lanny was home also.   We had heard a loud noise earlier, which is not unusual in this area because of the jets which take off from Fairchild Airforce Base in Spokane. It seemed like quite a while later that we saw very unusual clouds appearing over Moses Lake. They were like upside down stratocumulus clouds, but discolored. Soon we heard on the radio what had actually happened and we were being warned to stay indoors, because it wasn't known if the ash was toxic or not, and also to wear a mask if you went outside. 

I  

The kids' bicycles covered with ash (this is the middle of the day)

Soon the ash began falling and it became dark even though it was late morning or early afternoon and normally would have been light, especially on a day in May in Moses Lake.  With the thick ash it was almost impossible to travel in a vehicle.  Lanny and I became very anxious about our children because they were away.  Soon they arrived, a little shaken and anxious.  The trip home from church was arduous, and it was especially difficult for the driver to see.  We watched the ash continue to fall, listened to the the radio for any information.  Nobody seem to know exactly how to advise people in this situation, so many precautions were advised.  

Richelle spraying ash from lawn,
You can see ash on the roadway and
the neighbor's lawn

           The next morning the darkness had dissipated with the end of the falling ash
     but it was everywhere.  And this ash
     remained for months to come. Lanny went
     to work and noticed abandoned cars along
     the highway. The ash was interfering with
     the operation of the vehicles. He rigged up
     a system by putting a nylon sock over the
     air filter, then running a plastic hose from
     the air filter intake into the cab. This way it sucked air from the inside of the cab rather than the ashy air on the outside. This made
     it possible to keep the car operating.
           Lanny helped others to clear the ash from the roofs of the stores downtown.  He and a friend, I think it was Earl, 
     borrowed a fire hose, hooked it to the fire hydrant and began cleaning the ash
     from the road in front of our house and the neighbors.  I had begun spraying the
     ash from the patio when lots of birds
     swooped down to the water. They  were desperate for water.  My crops in

Richelle talking to the next-door neighbor Connie

     the garden were basically destroyed, especially the strawberries.   

Lanny to the left spraying ash from grass;
 neighbors in the street one with a shovel

            People from other areas visiting Moses Lake were not able to leave for several days. I heard and read that the people in Moses Lake did an excellent job of arranging accomodations for these stranded people.  Trucks delivering produce to the stores were not able to come into Moses Lake or surrounding area for several days, so the stores ran short of food products, especially milk, bread and prepared foods. I remember being out in the backyard with my drooping flowers and for the first time in many days seeing several large trucks traveling by on Hwy. 28 toward town.  What a relief that was to see those trucks.  It took several years before things were back to normal and businesses started moving into the area again. 
     Hey kids, what's your story on the day Mt. St. Helens erupted?  By Grandma A

32 years after the eruption

      St. Helens remains the most active volcano
       in the Cascades.

        Before the eruption of
Mt. St. Helens