Waiting for ash

It didn't attract too much mention two days ago.   There were a few news reports about a volcano erupting in Iceland and how some people were being evacuated from the immediate area, which wasn't too well populated.  There had already been an earlier eruption there, on 21 March, and life had continued as usual.  There also didn't seem to be major concern about human casualties, such as happened with the earthquakes in Haiti, in Chile, and most recently in China so far this year.  But I should have been paying more attention.

The name "Eyjafjallajökull" doesn't exactly trip off the tongue.  It isn't as easy to say as "Mount St. Helens," for instance.  But if the news reports are correct, Eyjafjallajökull is another volcano that will literally bring fallout into my own life.   Swiss channels are now reporting that, beginning at midnight tonight through Saturday morning, Swiss airspace will be closed.  Right now they're saying until 07:00; that could possibly go until later.  Major airports have been closed and are continuing to close throughout western Europe since yesterday.  Air traffic in Geneva was affected yesterday, but that was due to airports being closed elsewhere rather than here, specifically in London, Paris, Germany and the Scandinavian countries.

So far, the major concerns with this disaster are economic rather than humanitarian.  The airlines stand to lose millions of euros each day during the shutdowns.  Related business and tourist traffic is also being affected.  The ash cloud continues to drift this way and is expected to arrive in the Jura around midnight tonight.  Because the ash is remaining primarily at high altitudes, it is considered a very real danger to jet aircraft engines.  If it descends, the silicone particles in its composition could pose serious problems for human beings, especially for those who already have respiratory difficulties.  WHO has recommended that everyone stay inside and at home. 

I will never forget 18 May 1980, the day that Mount St. Helens erupted.   That was the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.  Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed.  The ash cloud that the early morning eruption created drifted far to the east for hundreds of miles, reaching Missoula, Montana, where I was living at the time, by mid-afternoon.

For nearly a week, it was like living in a nuclear winter.  Some described it as a gray lunar landscape.  They are using similar language to describe the area near this recent event.  Then, schools and business were closed.  Only those services considered "essential," such as hospital and emergency services, grocery stores, and pharmacies, were open.  People were requested not to drive, except in emergencies, to stay inside as much as possible, and to wear masks or scarves on their faces if they did have to go outside.   Towards the end of the week, we were also asked to hose down roofs and vehicles so that the ash would be absorbed either into the earth or into the city sewer system.

At first, my sons thought it was a great lark - not to have to go to school.  But by Wednesday, they were literally "climbing the walls" and school never looked so good.  I couldn't go to work either so we were all cooped up together.  That was almost more difficult than the volcano itself!  But it was during that week at home that I received the telephone call that would literally change my life.   It began the very long and winding road that ultimately led me to HWMBO and to where I am now.  I had no answering machine at the time.  And it was before the public had access to widespread and immediate electronic communication.  Had I not been closeted at home for that week, who knows how my life would ultimately have played out.

In the summer of 2008, HWMBO and I visited the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument together.   It was very meaningful to me to be there with him.  It was also literally amazing to see what destruction Nature accomplished then and what its healing power has accomplished since.

Scientists are saying that the current volcanic eruption in Iceland could last anywhere from days to years.  There is also concern that because this volcano is erupting through a glacier, there could be major rises in water levels in coastal areas.  While we have little choice but to bow to and accept forces of nature, we can only hope that the destruction there can be contained and that humanitarian costs, at least, will be minimal.