What response was there to Mt St Helens?

Answer 1

Some of the immediate responses to the Mt St Helens eruption in 1980 were....

Mobilising helicopters to search and rescue those in the vicinity of the catastrophic blast.

People setting up emergency treatment in nearby towns as they were closer than having to go to the hospitals

Face masks were sent from the US when they all ran out. President Carter sent 2 million more over.

Answer 2

The area around it was closed for a few days and people who lived within the danger zone were moved. Even though the area was closed, some people were able to get in to camp. The local people responded by going along with it and clearing the area as quickly as they could. The emergencies and authorities tried to keep people as safe as possible, and were ready to take in anyone who was injured.

Answer 3

The May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens essentially marked the dawn of modern vulcanology. It was during the eruption that scientists learned that volcanoes do not just suddenly erupt without warning, but there are precursor signs. The volcanic eruption was a national disaster, and National Guard troops were deployed to try to rescue survivors choking in thick ash or stranded by lahars and mudflows. Air traffic had to be shut down, and even cars and trucks choked and died from the ash even hundreds of miles from the volcano. Crops were buried, and rivers including the mighty Columbia had to be dredged from all the ash to make them navigable again. The volcano's ash fell on crops far to the west, causing a lot of crop damage over a vast area.