The Lady Was Not Bluffing!

Personal account of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses living in Spokane, Washington, at the time of the Mt. St. Helens eruption

WE ALL went to the meeting at the Kingdom Hall on Sunday morning, May 18, with no hint of what was to come. In the afternoon the sky was darkening. We thought a thunderstorm was brewing because of the sultry air and black clouds. It soon became apparent, however, that this was no ordinary storm. By two o’clock the sun became invisible and it was like midnight. The birds went to roost, dogs and cats struggled to get indoors and an eerie hush fell over everything.

Then, without warning, it began to fall​—the volcanic ash, light gray in color, said to resemble the moon dust the astronauts brought back. Soon everything was covered with this weird dust. Sparkling from the glass particles in it, this dust was carried by the wind into every nook and cranny. It was horrible, yet strangely fascinating. It left Spokane and surrounding towns paralyzed.

You couldn’t drive your car more than a few miles until the air filter clogged up and had to be cleaned or replaced. Oil had to be changed every few hundred miles. Visibility was near zero at times, and the highways were lined with disabled cars or those involved in accidents. Breathing was difficult, even with the masks we all wore. Those with respiratory diseases suffered the most.

For two days and nights no one but civil employees dared go out of the house, so terrible were conditions. Mother had gone to Tim and Donna’s and there she stayed. Fortunately, Dave and I had laid in a supply of groceries the day before, so we didn’t do too badly. Others, though, who were out of supplies did without​—bread, milk, other staples. Some of the little towns that rely on Spokane wholesalers ran out of food in their local grocery stores.

Now, as I write this five days after St. Helens blew her top, no one knows the effect the fallout will have on livestock and crops. So far the livestock seem all right. The biggest problem with stock or pets is eye irritation. The glass in the dust is abrasive and causes the eyes to burn.

This is without doubt the strangest thing we’ve ever gone through. As soon as the disaster struck, Jehovah’s Witnesses began calling one another to see if any needed help. Sometimes it took 10 minutes or more to get the message through.

All roads in and out of town were closed. All trains, planes, buses and other kinds of commercial transportation ground to a halt.

The cleanup of the ash is most difficult, as it blows away faster than you can shovel or sweep it up. Only a few inches of the stuff, however, on a roof can cause the roof to cave in. It’s unbelievably heavy! Yet a gust of wind sends it sailing into eyes, nose and throat, and over all your lawn and garden.

We will not know for a while whether the worst is over. The mountain is rumbling again, threatening another outburst. In all the previous speculation over a possible eruption, no one dreamed it would blast off like this. In fact, most people said the lady was bluffing, until last Sunday morning, May 18.

Now no one takes Mt. St. Helens for granted.​—Contributed.

[Diagram on page 16]

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as the ash flies

Mount St. Helens Spokane

240 miles