What did you see? I mean, was tghe city covered with ash? Did it sound loud? I am curious because I am visiting Portland and never realized how close it was...
2007-02-06 18:34:29 · 7 answers · asked by mario van peebles 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ Portland
On May 18, 1980, when Mt. St. Helens blew off her top, there wasn't much to see from Portland.. the mountain was lost in the cloud cover. The ash went in a northwesterly directly from the mountain, so we didn't get any ash then. We received a couple of dustings in smaller subsequent eruptions.
2007-02-09 19:25:06 · answer #1 · answered by Kathy P-W 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I lived there then. We didn't hear anything, but we went to the top of Rocky Butte, and could see the big cloud of ash. From Portland, you can't see the side of the mountain that blew off, but you can see the top part. There was ash on everything for a while, and like the other people mentioned, some people were using surgical masks to go outside. For many years afterwards, you could buy things made from the ash (necklaces, earrings, etc. ) I took my kids to the Johnston Ridge Observatory for the first time, last summer, and it was awe inspiring. It brought back a lot of old memories.
2007-02-08 16:44:02 · answer #2 · answered by Tiss 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was living in Coos Bay, Oregon at the time, which is about 200 miles southwest of Portland.
My partner and I were awakened by the jolt of the earth at the time of the eruption. We got in our truck and went to the top of Diamond Peak, a mountain in the Coast Range, where we could clearly see the plume of ash.
About 12 days later, the ash went around the earth and dusted the area we lived with ash several millimeters thick ... nothing like areas just east of the mountain got the day of the eruption, but amazing nonetheless that it had encircled the earth.
If you get an opportunity to go visit the Mt. St. Helens national area, and visitor centers, please do so! It is a phenomenal experience! hubby and I went in Sept, and were stunned by it all, even though we have long lived in the area, we had never visited the site.
2007-02-06 20:37:51 · answer #3 · answered by Pichi 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I lived in Portland. I don't remember hearing anything, but I do remember that the sky was very gray, almost like overcast, but it was all the ashes blowing around. There was a layer of ash on everything, and they recommended that you wore a surgical mask when you went outside to prevent inhaling any of it.
I don't remember seeing anything except for what we saw on the news. From where I was, there was no direct view of the mountain.
2007-02-07 13:47:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes I did I could see it across the river.We were managing apartments and had to cover the swimming pool. Ash blew in the windows, got in your sheets. It was quite the ordeal. My daughter was 6 yrs old and came home from school and her lungs were filled with the ash. It was like breathing in fine glass. They could not fly any planes and the ash also got in your car engines.
2007-02-07 14:13:59 · answer #5 · answered by rose w 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i lived east of portland in the dalles, i watched a mushroom cloud appear over the mountains west of the city, didnt hear anythign but got coverend in ash for days
2007-02-08 03:35:08 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
i did not
2007-02-06 18:44:15 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋