May 18th - 40 years since the eruption of Mount St. Helens

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption. On May 18th, 1980, a 5.1-magnitude earthquake struck Mount St. Helens. This triggered a landslide on the north side of the mountain, and in turn, a huge air blast shot up ash, stone, and other superheated material into the sky. Pyroclastic flows filled with ash, lava, and gas made their way down the mountain and enveloped the valleys below. Everything within a 200-square mile area was decimated, and the ecosystem was changed forever. In total, 57 people and thousands of animals were killed. 

Over the last forty years, Mount St. Helens has remained relatively active. Small explosions occurred throughout the '80s and '90s, and it erupted yet again in 2004, albeit on a much smaller scale. Although the 1980 eruption caused such devastation, it opened the door to rare scientific research opportunities and many breakthroughs in volcanism and geology. The eruptions were big lessons in community preparedness and emergency response. One member of our team remembers being in middle school during the 2004 eruptions: drills increased and classrooms stocked up on masks in case of ash fall. Students learned how to check for local alerts and keep their families informed. Just as we are experiencing now, schools played a central role in community preparedness and response, modeling preparedness actions and were essential sources of information vital for the community's response. Emergency preparedness includes preparing for increased waste created by disasters, as well as preparing our solid waste system to continue operations during challenging times. We are proud of the resilience our community showed in 1980, and now during the coronavirus pandemic. In celebration of that resiliency and preparedness, we've compiled resources for you to learn about Mount St. Helens and what its eruptions have taught us.