The People of Mount St. Helens
Examine the following descriptions to compare the actions of scientists, government agencies, businesses, and the general public in the weeks preceding the eruption of Mount St. Helens. Then answer these questions:
• How did the different constituencies perceive the threat of an eruption? Create a diagram that illustrates how the different constituencies perceived the threat from the volcano over the 2-month period from March 20 to May 18.
• What do you think would have happened if the main eruption had not occurred for another 2 months?
Keep in mind that the job description of USGS scientists prevents them from recommending specific actions to lessen risk but requires them to focus on assessing natural processes and forecasting geologic scenarios. Local, regional, and federal governments are responsible for instituting measures to protect populations and structures, while taking into account cultural and social factors.
Early Days (March 20–April 2)
Scientists: USGS adds more seismometers and warns of earthquakes related to volcanic activity; gas and ash samples are interpreted to indicate a magma source near the surface; more instruments are added.
Government agencies: The US Forest Service (USFS) warns the public to stay away and closes Spirit Lake; Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposes flight restrictions; evacuation within 24-kilometer (15-mile) radius; National Guard sets up 29 roadblocks; USFS moves possessions of staff from evacuated area.
Business: 300 loggers return to work on northwest flank of volcano.
Public: Sightseers crowd nearest viewing sites; citizens express frustration about being kept from property. Local cabin owner Harry Truman refuses to leave, saying, “I think the whole damn thing is overexaggerated. … You couldn’t pull me out with a mule team.”
Unrest Continues (April 3–April 18)
Scientists: Geologists identify the greatest hazards of potential eruption as flooding or mudflows; costs of monitoring volcano and maintaining safety forces continue to rise; USGS reduces number of scientists at volcano from 30 to 10.
Government agencies: Governor declares state of emergency; roadblocks moved farther from volcano; some roadblocks removed because of a reduction in unrest and public harassment; National Guard staffing reduced.
Business: Loggers request greater access to restricted areas; local businesses threaten to sue if roadblocks are not moved closer to mountain.
Public: On one day, 109 planes reported inside restricted air space on; tourists flock for close-up view of the mountain; climbers evade roadblocks and reach peak.
Danger Threatens … Maybe (April 19–May 3)
Scientists: Bulging of north flank becomes more obvious; seismic activity increases; high concentrations of sulfur dioxide gas noted; geologist comments, “It’s very dramatic to see this much ground motion. It can’t be anything but some type of dramatic change going on inside the mountain.”
Government agencies: Red Cross takes disaster workers off standby alert and asks county to return all extra shelter equipment. Governor closes red zone within 12 kilometers (7 miles) of mountain except for scientists and law enforcement; areas within 25 kilometers (16 miles) are accessible only to landowners and loggers.
Business: Timber company considers blocking active logging roads to restrict tourist access, citing concerns over potential problems with congestion, fires, and accidents with logging trucks.
Public: Emergency services personnel frustrated because public appears unaware of the danger: “The mountain looks so serene, so people can’t fathom 4,000 vertical feet of earth, rock, and ice plunging into (Spirit Lake) in less than 2 minutes.”
The End Is Nigh? (May 4–May 17)
Scientists: USGS geologist: “(The deformation) is continuing at a very high rate. Sometime it has to go. We just don’t know how much longer it can last.” USGS stops taking measurements high on mountain because of increased danger from sudden avalanches.
Government agencies: FAA officials issue a pilot’s warning that an ash plume extended 32 kilometers (20 miles) to the north-northeast and was “of extreme hazard to aircraft”; governor grants request for 50 landowners to retrieve possessions.
Business: Logger quoted: “We’re logging 10 miles away from the peak. … I don’t see any hazard. I just came back from Hawaii, where they run tourist buses right up to the edge of a venting volcano.”
Public: Tourists from around the world come to see the mountain; owners of property in evacuation zone near volcano demand access to homes.
May 18
At 8:32 a.m. an earthquake shakes Mount St. Helens volcano, resulting in a giant landslide from the area of the bulge on the north flank. Approximately 650 square kilometers (250 square miles) of surrounding lands are damaged by a lateral blast, and 150 million cubic meters (5,300 million cubic feet) of material are deposited directly by lahars (volcanic mudflows) into the river channels. The initial volcanic blast destroys forest lands and property within the cordon of roadblocks. Explosive eruptions continue until October, but none reaches the magnitude of the May 18 event.
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