I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has emailed me to see if we're alive and well, what with us living next door to a rumbling volcano and all. It's nice to know that there are people who care.For those of you just tuning in Alaska is one of three states with active volcanoes--29 to be exact--and from time to time we get eruptions at an average of about two a year. Mt. Redoubt is 100 miles southwest of Anchorage and the last time it erupted back about the time I was in high school it sent a cloud of ash all the way to Anchorage which dirtied the city and generally made things inconvenient.
For the past week Redoubt has been showing clear signs of repeating the show and vulcanologists are saying we can expect fireworks at any time--probably sooner rather than later. I'm not worried about getting in the path of anything terribly dangerous but all the ash can really wreak havoc.
We've stocked up on face masks and air filters for the cars (in case you were wondering if volcanic ash on the highway reduces your visibility to two cars ahead of you then you shouldn't drive more than 50 miles without changing your oil and air filters). Plus we've tried to keep a supply of perishables on hand just in case.
Our family has a supply of emergency food we always keep in our crawl space so should things get particularly nasty we're in good shape to wait it out. In fact, the biggest worry is that the ash will be nasty to clean and will temporarily shut down the city which will mean school will be canceled yet again.
Forget hot lava the real danger here is rabid children.
Sponsored by Greeting of Grace where you can find beautiful pressed flowers and by Just Bicycles by for gorgeous beach cruiser bikes.
* photo courtesy of Anchorage Daily News
Technorati tags: Alaska, volcanoes, weather, Valentine's Day
22 comments:
We had a minor earthquake here the other morning. My apartment shook and I was reminded again that no matter what we do Nature has its own plans. I thought about you when hearing all these stories about "your" volcano. Glad you are fine and keeping us updated.
Oh my goodness, a volcano is about to explode near you? Glad you're safely out of range of the dangerous bits but the ash sounds miserable (maybe like one of our sandstorms?). As an asthma sufferer I think I'd be stuck in the house for the duration!
Hope the wind blows the other way for you!
Oh the stories you are going to tell. First and foremost stay safe. It sounds like you have all your bases covered.
Now it is the wait and see.
Vulcanologist....I love the way that sounds.
I imagine it would be a great conversation starter..."Oh, me? I am a vulcanologist...no, nothing to do with Star Trek." :)
Hope you keep safe :)
I''m sure that this has become rather routine for you, like hurricanes in the south, and tornadoes in the midwest. Everyone should be prepared for natural disasters. Glad you're safe, and I hope that the clean up won't be too difficult!
Well obviously I don't watch the news much. I'm glad there's no lava danger at least. But rabid children? Heaven forbid!!
I've always been fascinated by volcanoes and just this week I checked out a national geographic book all about them to read with my son. Guess what he's learned from it so far?
COUNT DOOKU: Mom, what do volcanoes eat for dinner?
ME: I dunno
COUNT DOOKU: Ashed potatoes! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!
That's really interesting. I hope the ash doesn't get too difficult to deal with.
I'm curious, does the ash situation shorten the life spans of cars or are you all right as long as you do the things you mentioned?
I would love to see a post about what you keep in your pantry--what you plan to do with it, how long you could go without going to the store, etc. It makes me realize I should put together some sort of emergency box so if weather or whatever made it difficult or impossible to get out for a while it would be fine.
Oh my, I must live in a hole (or I have 3 young children) since I hadn't heard about this volcanic eruption in Alaska. Now, I have to Google which is the 3rd state to have an active volcano. I'm sure the 2nd is Hawaii.
Just as a follow-up - I looked it up and there are actually 4 states with active volcanoes - Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, and California. Thanks for the topography lesson today.
I've been wondering, too!
Your write away contest this month does sound pretty darn great!
!
A VOLCANO!
!
HOW DID I MISS THAT?
Look, come visit ME. I'm a bit of a drive, but I'm on one of the most geologically stable places on THE PLANET.
always good to have a stash of food and water. Especially when we have kids! I know too many parents that fail to prepare. We have no volcanoes but we get some nasty weather, hurricanes, ice storms ...
I heard about that on the news! Glad you're well-prepared, and be safe!
confined spaces with kids sounds scary indeed!
Rabid children, oh my! That sounds dangerous. Glad you guys are prepared, that ash sounds nasty.
Rabid children? That's not a good thought at all. During Hurricane Katrina, I was in the NOLA area without children. Instead God blessed me with a few older relatives (including my mom!)who needed shelter and care. How exactly does one tell your dear old auntie to dispose of her adult diapers??? Or dear old uncle so and so to GET OFF THE ROOF ASAP! What memories. I really pray you will not get homebound with your rabid children anytime soon.
Oh, oh, rabid children!!! Seriously scary. What a great opportunity to practice patience though if the worst happens :-)
At least you picked the perfect colour for your house last summer! Now when all your neighbours' houses look dirty, yours will still be picture-perfect. :)
You guys are pros in an emergency. I will definitely be thinking of your family and hope it isn't bad!! Thinking of you!
I'm so glad you answered this question! I was going to email/comment asking, but wasn't able to get that thought processed at the same time I was on the computer. (Kids do have a way of distracting you!)
Stay safe! We also have a volcano that likes to rubmle at times - it's a few islands away and has stayed quiet for a whle now.
I once saw on TV that if the ash is heavy enough it can block out the sun and can cause the whole earth to have lower temps...maybe we just need a few more to go off to counter-act global warming!!
That's scary, indeed. I often am glad that I live away from earthquakes and volcanoes and torrential rainstorms and blizzards. The desert is actually pretty mild. Although I guess we have to worry about conserving water...and that's probably not at the top of your state's concern list. ;)
I guess every place has its benefits and drawbacks...
Stay safe!
Wow. An active volcano - nothing routine about that - I can't believe someone said that. Stay safe and I hope the earthquakes are small and the tidal waves even smaller.
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