In observance of Volcano Awareness Month, several scientists and preparedness experts will commemorate the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens during a May 18 event at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater.
The event is just one of many scheduled for May in Washington, which was designated Volcano Awareness Month after the eruption that killed 57 people, spewed 540 million tons of ash and caused more than a billion dollars in damage.
“May is Volcano Awareness Month, a time we want you to not just look at Mount St. Helens, but remember we have four other active volcanoes in our state — Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker and Glacier Peak,” Brian Terbush, volcano program preparedness coordinator for the Washington Emergency Management Division, said in a statement. “If there’s a volcano in your backyard, it’s a perfect time to understand how its eruption might impact your life and what you can do to prepare for it!”
The May 18 event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Science and Learning Center at Coldwater, located at milepost 43 on state Route 504, also known as the Spirit Lake Memorial Highway.
For those unable to attend, volcano experts will tweet a screening of the movie “Skyfire” at 7 p.m. on May 8 through the @waShakeOut and @USGSVolcanoes accounts.
“Starring Jason Isaacs, everything goes wrong at a theme park built on a volcano when the danger of the volcano is underestimated — basically, Jurassic Park but with a volcano instead of dinosaurs,” the Washington Emergency Management Division said in a description of the movie.
The movie is available to stream for free on Amazon Prime with ads or to rent on Prime or YouTube.
From 7 to 8:30 p.m. on May 16, the Washington state Emergency Management Division will host a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything through the account reddit.com/user/waquakeprepare/.
On May 22, Cascades Volcano Observatory Scientist-in-Charge Jon Major will give a presentation titled “Lava, Mudflows and Ash: Volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest” at the Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland.
The event will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and tickets cost $25. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/yznbk85h.
