1980 — May 18, Volcano Eruption and Landslides, Mount St. Helens, WA                  –55-67

—     68  OJP DOJ. Community Crisis Response Team Trng. Manual: 2nd Ed. (Appendix D).[1]

–55-67  Blanchard tally of direct deaths (confirmed), direct deaths (unconfirmed), indirect.[2]

–55-60  Direct deaths (five are uncertain)

—    4-7  Indirect (Unable to locate specific information on any reported indirect deaths.)

—     64  OSU. Volcano World. “What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980?”

–57  “…directly by the eruption.”

—  7  “…a plane crash,[3] a traffic accident, and shoveling ash…”[4]

—     63  Bourque. “Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Disasters,” in Rodriquez 2007. 103.

—     60  Burt and Stroud.  Extreme Weather:  A Guide & Record Book.  2004, 133.

—   >57  Dresbeck. Oregon Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. 2006, p. 130.

—     57  Gunn. “Mount St. Helens, Washington, Volcanic Eruption, May 18, 1980.” P. 560.[5]

—     57  History.com.  This Day in History, Disaster, May 1980. “Mount St. Helens Erupts.”

—     57  McNair-Huff. Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. 2006, p145.

—     57  USA Today. “Mount St. Helens: Facts about deadliest US volcano…35 years later.” 5-15-2015.

 

Landslides

–5-10  Highland and Schuster. Significant Landslide Events in the [U.S.].  USGS, 4-16-2003, 11.

 

Breakout by State or Province:

 

British Columbia, Canada:    3

California                                2

Minnesota                                1  (Possibly)

Ohio                                         1

Oregon                                   16

Pennsylvania                           1

Texas                                        1  (Possibly; unknown)

Washington                           34

Unknown (Paul Hiatt)            1

Not Noted                              4-7  (Crop duster pilot, auto accident, 2 heart attacks shoveling ash, 3 not noted.)

 

Narrative Information

 

Dresbeck: Mount St. Helens is the youngest volcano in the Cascades, about 40,000 years old, and in 1980 its perfectly shaped peak was thought to be only about 2,500 years old, the result of dome-building activity after some great eruption in the past 3,000 years….But it had been silent for well over a century. On March 17, 1980, a small earthquake shook Mount St. Helens awake after this long slumber. One week later, the mountain spewed ash 2 miles into the air, the first major activity in more than a cen­tury. This minor eruption blew a hole in the top of the moun­tain, forming a crater 200 feet in diameter and 150 feet deep….

 

“From March through May the mountain spewed ash and steam regularly, and earthquakes occurred with alarming fre­quency. Especially alarming was the unusual bulge forming on the north flank of the mountain. On May 10, more than twenty earthquakes were recorded on Mount St. Helens. But by May 15, the mountain seemed to have settled down, and the eruptions and earthquakes appeared to have stopped….But even as the earthquakes calmed and the steam clouds waned, the north- flank bulge was growing ever larger, and at a steady and con­stant rate….

 

“At 8:32 on the morning of May 18, an earthquake measur­ing 5.1 on the Richter scale shuddered through Mount St. Helens. Witnesses report that the side of the mountain started to look fuzzy as ash began to spew out the top of the volcano. Then the bulge on the north flank simply melted away into one of the largest landslides ever known to occur. Mount St. Helens was erupting in a way no one had expected: a lateral blast out the north side of the mountain…. [pp. 122-125]

 

“The eruption obliterated everything in its direct blast zone, an area of about 8 miles in radius. The sheer force of the blast and its huge volume of debris killed or washed away everything in its path, leaving nothing but a moonscape of scree[6] and ash. Beyond the direct blast zone lay an intermediate zone that extended nearly 20 miles. This zone was remarkable for and denoted by the giant trees that were mown down at the bottom of their trunks, miles and miles of them. The third zone was the seared zone; here, the gases from the blast didn’t topple the trees, but it did singe them. The peak lost 1,300 feet to both the landslide and the explosive eruption. The landslide filled 24 square miles with debris. The lateral blast blew out 250 square miles of productive land. Spirit Lake had received so much debris from the landslide that it created a giant, 900-foot wave, spilling into its river systems and emptying the lake. Two hun­dred million cubic yards of ash, rock, mud, and debris were sent rushing into river channels. Mudflows poured down the sides of the mountain, wiping out everything in their path. The ash plume shot into the air for more than nine hours, bolstered by explosion after explosion from within the mountain. This cloud, composed of ash and steam, stretched 60,000 feet into the air, moving east at 60 miles per hour. Eventually, 540 mil­lion tons of ash blanketed an area covering more than 22,000 square miles…. [p. 127]

 

“The official death toll was fifty-seven, but it may have been higher. Not everyone registers with authorities, and the official Red Zone was well inside the area that was most affected by the blast. Most people died from breathing in the hot ash; others were instantly burned to death or buried in ash or mud. [p. 130]

 

“Mount St. Helens continued to send steam and ash up into the sky for weeks and months after the first eruption…. [p. 130]

 

“The costs to individual Oregonians was…high. Many of the fifty-seven official dead were from Oregon families who had been camping or hiking, or people who had been working…. [p. 131]

 

“…the eruption of Mount St. Helens did have the force of several nuclear bombs…. [p. 132]

(Dresbeck, Rachel. Oregon Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival, 2006.)

 

Gunn: “….Seattle’s air traffic control tower tracked the mass of ash and rocks hurtling out of the mountain and con­cluded it was traveling at close to three hundred mph….

 

“A Boeing 737 jet flying from Reno, Nevada, to Vancouver, Canada, at 6,000 feet, was forty miles south of Mount St. Helens when the mountain exploded. The pilot saw the explosion and swung away from his course, a path that would have taken him directly over the eruption, escaping in so doing a dirty gray cloud that was rising quickly to meet him. His 737 rocked in the air from the shock of the explosion as if it were a ship at sea…. [p. 559]

 

(Gunn, Angus M. “Mount St. Helens, Washington, Volcanic Eruption, May 18, 1980.” Pp. 559-564 in Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies (V2).

 

History.com: “Mount St. Helens in Washington erupts, causing a massive avalanche and killing 57 people on this day in 1980. Ash from the volcanic eruption fell as far away as Minnesota.

 

“Seismic activity at Mount St. Helens, which is 96 miles south of Seattle, began on March 16. A 4.2-magnitude tremor was recorded four days later and then, on March 23-24, there were 174 different recorded tremors. The first eruption occurred on March 27, when a 250-foot wide vent opened up on top of the mountain. Ash was blasted 10,000 feet in the air, some of which came down nearly 300 miles away in Spokane. The ash caused static electricity and lightning bolts.

 

“Authorities issued a hazard watch for a 50-mile radius around the mountain. The National Guard set up road blocks to prevent access to the area, but these were easily avoided by using the region’s unguarded logging roads. Many residents of the area evacuated, but a substantial number refused. Harry Truman, 84–no relation to the former president–was one resident who refused to move and, after receiving a great deal of positive media coverage for his decision, became a national icon as well as, later, the subject of a local memorial.

 

“Throughout April, scientists watched a bulge on the north side of Mount St. Helens grow larger and larger. Finally, on May 18 at 8:32 a.m., a sudden 5.1-magnitude earthquake and eruption rocked the mountain. The north side of the peak rippled and blasted out ash at 650 miles per hour. A cloud of ash, rocks, gas and glacial ice roared down the side of the mountain at 100 mph. Fourteen miles of the Toutle River were buried up to 150 feet deep in the debris. Magma, at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, flowed for miles.

 

“The 24-megaton blast demolished a 230-square-mile area around the mountain. Geologist Dave Johnson was the closest to the eruption when it blew. He was on his radio that morning and was only able to say, “Vancouver, Vancouver, this is it!” before his truck was pushed over a ridge and he was killed.

 

“Millions of trees were scorched and burned by the hot air alone. When the glacier atop the mountain melted, a massive mudslide wiped out homes and dammed up rivers throughout the area. The plume of ash belched out for nine hours; easterly winds carried it across the state and as far away as Minneapolis, Minnesota. The falling ash clogged carburetors and thousands of motorists were stranded. Fifty-seven people died overall from suffocation, burns and other assorted injuries. Twenty-seven bodies, including that of the stubborn Harry Truman, were never found. Mount St. Helens went from 9,600 feet high to only 8,300 feet high in a matter of seconds.”  (History.com.  This Day in History, Disaster, May 1980. “Mount St. Helens Erupts.”)

 

McNair-Huff: “….The explosion released energy equivalent to seven megatons….Anyone within 5 miles of the northwest part of the volcano squarely in the path of the landslide and blast –died instantly, and in many cases their bodies…were never found….

 

“…the eruption sent a towering plume of ash and pumice high into the Sunday morning sky. Within fifteen minutes the plume reached an elevation of 80,000 feet[7] — about twice as high as commercial airplanes fly — and started its spread to the east. The fallout from the plume covered the areas up to 10 miles from the crater with a combination of ash and pumice, coating the same landscape that had just been decimated by the landslide and lateral blast, as well as areas to the east of the volcano…. [p. 144]

 

“…only three of the fifty-seven people killed in the eruption died inside the Red Zone….” [p151]

(McNair-Huff, Rob and Natalie. Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. 2006.)

 

USGS: “Magma began intruding into the Mount St. Helens edifice in the late winter and early spring of 1980. By May 18, the cryptodome (bulge) on the north flank had likely reached the point of instability, and was creeping more rapidly toward failure. A magnitude-5+ earthquake was accompanied by a debris avalanche, which in turn unloaded the confining pressure at the top of the volcano by removing the cryptodome. This abrupt pressure release allowed hot water in the system to flash to steam, which expanded explosively, initiating a hydrothermal blast directed laterally through the landslide scar. Because the upper portion of the volcano was removed, the pressure decreased on the system of magma beneath the volcano. A wave of decreasing pressure down the volcanic conduit to the subsurface magma reservoir, which then began to rise, form bubbles (degas), and erupt explosively, driving a 9-hour long Plinian eruption….

 

“Debris Avalanche. With no immediate precursors, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred at 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980 and was accompanied by a rapid series of events. At the same time as the earthquake, the volcano’s northern bulge and summit slid away as a huge landslide—the largest debris avalanche on Earth in recorded history. A small, dark, ash-rich eruption plume rose directly from the base of the debris avalanche scarp, and another from the summit crater rose to about 200 m (650 ft) high. The debris avalanche swept around and up ridges to the north, but most of it turned westward as far as 23 km (14 mi) down the valley of the North Fork Toutle River and formed a hummocky deposit. The total avalanche volume is about 2.5 km3 (3.3 billion cubic yards), equivalent to 1 million Olympic swimming pools.

 

“Lateral Blast. The landslide removed Mount St. Helens’ northern flank, including part of the cryptodome that had grown inside the volcano. The cryptodome was a very hot and highly pressurized body of magma. Its removal resulted in immediate depressurization of the volcano’s magmatic system and triggered powerful eruptions that blasted laterally through the sliding debris and removed the upper 300 m (nearly 1,000 ft) of the cone. As this lateral blast of hot material overtook the debris avalanche; it accelerated to at least 480 km per hr (300 mi per hr). Within a few minutes after onset, an eruption cloud of blast tephra began to rise from the former summit crater. Within less than 15 minutes it had reached a height of more than 24 km (15 mi or 80,000 ft)….

 

“Plinian Eruption…. Over the course of the day, prevailing winds blew 520 million tons of ash eastward across the United States and caused complete darkness in Spokane, Washington, 400 km (250 mi) from the volcano. Major ash falls occurred as far away as central Montana, and ash fell visibly as far eastward as the Great Plains of the Central United States, more than 1,500 km (930 mi) away. The ash cloud spread across the U.S. in three days and circled the Earth in 15 days….” (U.S. Geological Survey. “1980 Cataclysmic Eruption.” Volcano Hazards Program. Mount St. Helens. 3-30-2017 modification.)

 

Newspapers

 

May 19, 2015, USA Today: “Fifty-seven people died when Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington on May 18, 1980 at 8:32 a.m. Autopsies showed that most of the people killed in the eruption likely died from asphyxiation after inhaling hot ash, according to the U.S. Geological Survey….” (USA Today (Lori Grisham). ‘‘I’m going to stay right here.’ Lives lost in Mount St. Helens eruption.” 5-17-2015, updated 5-19-2015.)

 

Named Victims (direct deaths)

 

  1. Blackburn, Reid, 27. Vancouver photojournalist; Coldwater Creek, ~8M from northside.[8]
  2. Bowers, Wallace Norwood, 41, Winlock, WA; Logging ~Elk Lake. Find A Grave; Smith.[9]
  3. Colten, Joel K, 29, of Wyncote, (Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website.)
  4. Conner, Ronald Lee, 45, of Tacoma, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  5. Crall, Terry A., 21, of Kelso, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  6. Croft, Clyde Andrew, 37, of Roy, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  7. Dias, Jose Arturo, 33, of Woodburn, OR; logger. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  8. Dill, Ellen Loy, 53, of Kirkland, WA. Driving in motor home through area; never found.[10]
  9. Dill, Robert W., 61, of Kirkland, WA. Driving in motor home through area; never found.[11]
  10. Edwards, Arlene H., 37, Day-trip from Portland OR. (AP/Los Angeles Times, 2005.)[12]
  11. Edwards, Jolene, 19 (daughter of Arlene). “                      “
  12. Faddis, Bruce Edward, 26, Bend, OR. Last seen end of Logging Road 3310, west if MSH.[13]
  13. Fitzgerald, James F. Jr., 32. Canton, OH. Geology grad. student doing doctoral field work.[14]
  14. Gadwa, Thomas G., 35, Montesano, WA. Part-time logger thought to have been ~Shultz Creek.[15]
  15. Handy, Allen R., 34 of Puyallup, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  16. Hiatt, Paul. Valerie Smith. St. Helens. “The Victims…” 6-6-2006 update.[16]
  17. Johnston, David A., 30, Seattle, WA. USGS volcanologist, observation post Coldwater II.[17]
  18. Karr, Day Bradley, 37, of Renton WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)[18]
  19. Karr, Day Andrew, 11 of Renton, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  20. Karr, Michael Murray, 9, of Renton, WA. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  21. Kaseweter, Bob, 39, Portland, OR. Amateur volcanologist; permitted to be ~Spirit Lake.[19]
  22. Killian, Christy (wife of John for 7 months), 20, from Vader, WA, had been fishing. AP/LAT
  23. Killian, John (husband of Christy), 29, Vader, WA. (Valerie Smith; AP in LA Times, 2005.)
  24. Kirkpatrick, Joyce M., 33, of Newberg, OR. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens website.)
  25. Kirkpatrick, Harold (Butch), 33, of Newberg, OR. (Smith, Valerie A. St. Helens.)
  26. Landsburg, Robert Emerson, 48, of Portland OR; freelance photographer. (Smith.)
  27. Lynds, Robert, 25, Kelso, WA. Campsite near Hanaford Lake, 9.5 miles north of MSH.[20]
  28. Martin, Gerald O., 65, Concrete, WA. Volunteer ham radio operator near Coldwater Peak.[21]
  29. Melanson, Mark, MN. Possibly missing on Cowlitz County WA Emer. Ser. Mgmt. list.[22]
  30. Moore, Gerald Lloyd, of Kelso, WA; camping at Tradedollar Lake, 11 miles south. (Smith)
  31. Moore, Keith A., 37, Kelso, WA. Fishing from bank of Green River 11 miles north.[23]
  32. Moore, Shirley (Sam), wife of Gerald Moore; camping at Tradedollar Lake. (Valerie Smith)
  33. Morris, Kevin Christopher, 7, Olympia, WA. Camping with mother, stepfather (Siebold)[24]
  34. Morris, Michelle Lea, 9, of Olympia, WA. Camping with mother and Seibold stepfather.
  35. Murphy, Edward Joseph, 63, of Renton, WA. Last seen at parked mobile home 11 miles west.[25]
  36. Murphy, Eleanor Jeanne, ~58, of Renton, WA. Last seen with husband Edward J. Murphy.
  37. Parker, Donald, 50, of Westport, OR; had a mine a few miles from base of St. Helens.[26]
  38. Parker, Natalie Ali, 50, wife of Donald, of Westport, OR. (Smith, Valerie. St. Helens).[27]
  39. Parker, Richard A., 28 (nephew of Donald Parker), of Shelton, WA.[28]
  40. Parker, Jean, 56 (wife of William), of Portland, OR.[29]
  41. Parker, William, 46 (husband of Jean). Of Portland, OR.[30]
  42. Pluard, Merlin James (Jim), 60, Toledo, WA. A Weyerhaeuser crew-boss.[31]
  43. Pluard, Ruth Kathleen, 56, Toledo, WA. Visiting husband’s work site ~6M north MSH.[32]
  44. Rollins, Fred D., 58, of Hawthorne, CA. Died outside car, Spirit Lake Hwy, 17M away.[33]
  45. Rollins, Margery Ellen, 52 of Hawthorne, CA (wife of Fred). Died inside car.[34]
  46. Ruffle, Robert P., 22, of Connell, WA. Possibly missing; mother reported him missing.[35]
  47. Schmidt, Paul F., 20, of Silverton, OR. In area to take pictures; car found ~6 miles west.[36]
  48. Seibold, Barbara Lea, 33 (wife of Ron), Olympia, WA. Asphyxiation inside family car.[37]
  49. Seibold, Ronald Dale, 41 (husband of Barbara). Lungs filled with ash inside family car.[38]
  50. Selby, Donald James, 48, of Everett, WA. Near his pickup camper on Spud Mountain.[39]
  51. Sharipoff, Evlanty V., 41, of Angel OR. Logger; asphyxiation, 14 miles NW of MSH.[40]
  52. Skorohadoff, Leonty V., of Woodburn OR. Logger. (Valerie A. Smith. St. Helens.)
  53. Thayer, Dale Douglas, 36, Kelso, WA. Presumably fishing on Toutle River.[41]
  54. Truman, Harry Randall, 83. At home near Mount St. Helens. (USA Today/Grisham, 2015.)
  55. Tute, James S., 55, of Mission, British Columbia. Touring with wife.[42]
  56. Tute, Velvetia (Velvet), ~52, of Mission, British Columbia. Touring with husband.
  57. Varner, Karen Marie, 21, of Kelso, WA. (Find A Grave; Valerie A Smith.)[43]
  58. Wetherald, Beverly C., 35, Portland, OR. Amateur volcanologist working near Spirit Lake.[44]
  59. Whitsett, Steven A., 17, Houston. Possibly missing; father reported son planned to hitchhike to MSH.[45]
  60. Zimmerman, Klaus, 27, of Spokane, WA. Body found in his mud covered car in Oct.[46]

 

Indirect Deaths[47]

 

  1. Pilot of crop duster that crashed after hitting powerlines during the ashfall.[48]
  2. Traffic accident during poor visibility conditions.[49]
  3. Heart attack from shoveling ash.[50]
  4. Heart attack from shoveling ash, number two.[51]
  5. Not clear. OSU. Volcano World. “What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted…?”
  6. Not clear. OSU. Volcano World. “What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted…?”
  7. Not clear. OSU. Volcano World. “What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted…?”

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Rukmini Callimachi). “Mt. St. Helens’ Victims Remembered.” Los Angeles Times, 5-15-2005. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: http://articles.latimes.com/2005/may/15/news/adna-helensvic15

 

Bourque, Linda B., et al. “Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Disasters.” Pp. 97-112 in Handbook of Disaster Research (edited by Havidan Rodriquez, Enrico Quarantelli and Russell Dynes), Springer, 2006.

 

Burt, Christopher C. and Mark Stroud. Extreme Weather: A Guide & Record Book. W. W. Norton & Co., 2004, 304 pages. Google preview accessed 1-1-2014 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=NuP7ATq9nWgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Columbian.com (Vancouver, WA). “Mount St. Helens Victims.” No date. Accessed 6-13-2017 at: http://media.columbian.com/static/columbian/images/flatpage/msh/msh-victims.swf

 

Dresbeck, Rachel. Oregon Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival. Guildford, CT: Insiders’ Guide, an imprint of the Globe Pequot Press, 2006.

 

Find A Grave. “Arlene H Edwards.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488464

 

Find A Grave. “Barbara Lea Seibold.” Record posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488506

 

Find A Grave. “Bruce Edward Faddis.” Record posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488466

 

Find A Grave. “Dale Douglas ‘Doug’ Thayer.” Posted by Marc Thayer, III, 1-23-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=24131780

 

Find A Grave. “Day Bradley Karr.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488474

 

Find A Grave. “Donald James Selby.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488507

 

Find A Grave. “Edward Joseph Murphy.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488493

 

Find A Grave. “Ellen Loy Dill.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488461

 

Find A Grave. “Evlanty V Sharipoff.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2007 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488508

 

Find A Grave. “Fred D. Rollins.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488502

 

Find A Grave. “Gerald O Martin.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488487

 

Find A Grave. “James S Tute.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488511

 

Find A Grave. “Karen Marie Varner.” Posting by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488513

 

Find A Grave. “Keith A Moore.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488489

 

Find A Grave. “Klaus Zimmerman.” Posted by Anonymous, 5-29-2010. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=28488515&PIpi=28967809

 

Find A Grave. “Merlin James ‘Jim’ Pluard.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488500

 

Find A Grave. “Natalie Ali Parker.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488497

 

Find A Grave. “Paul F Schmidt.” Record posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488504

 

Find A Grave. “Paul Hiatt.” Posting by Anonymous, 3-29-2013. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=28488470&PIpi=77340927

 

Find A Grave. “Richard A Parker.” Record added by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488498

 

Find A Grave. “Robert Dill.” Record posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488462

 

Find A Grave. “Robert Lynds.” Record posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488486

 

Find A Grave. “Ronald Dale Seibold.” Record added by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488505

 

Find A Grave. “Ruth Kathleen Pluard.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488501

 

Find A Grave. “Thomas George Gadwa.” Posted by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSvcid=148450&GRid=28488468

 

Find A Grave. “Wallace Norwood ‘Wally’ Bowers.” Record added by Suzanna Ashworth, 7-24-2008. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=28488479

 

Gunn, Angus M. “Mount St. Helens, Washington, Volcanic Eruption, May 18, 1980.” Pp. 559-564 in Encyclopedia of Disasters: Environmental Catastrophes and Human Tragedies (Volume 2). Greenwood Press, 2007.

 

Highland, Lynn M. and Robert L. Schuster. Significant Landslide Events in the United States.  USGS, 4-16-2003. Accessed at: http://landslides.usgs.gov/docs/faq/significantls_508.pdf

 

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, May 18, 1980. “Mount St. Helens Erupts.”  Accessed 12-7-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=05/18&categoryId=disaster

 

McNair-Huff, Rob and Natalie. Washington Disasters: True Stories of Tragedy and Survival.  Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2006.

 

Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice. Community Crisis Response Team Training Manual: Second Edition (Appendix D: Catastrophes Used as Reference Points in Training Curricula). Washington, DC: OJP, U.S. Department of Justice. Accessed at:  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/publications/infores/crt/pdftxt/appendd.txt

 

Oregon State University. Volcano World (webpage). “What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980?” Accessed 6-11-2017 at: http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/what-happened-when-mount-st-helens-erupted-may-18-1980

 

Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: http://volcano.oregonstate.edu/what-were-effects-people-when-mt-st-helens-erupted

 

Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: http://www.olywa.net/radu/valerie/mshvictims.html

 

USA Today (Lori Grisham). “Mount St. Helens: Facts about deadliest U.S. volcano event 35 years later.” 5-15-2015. Accessed 2-22-2016 at: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/05/15/mount-st-helens-eruption-35-anniversary/27170663/

 

U.S. Geological Survey. “1980 Cataclysmic Eruption.” Volcano Hazards Program. Mount St. Helens. 3-30-2017 modification. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanoes/st_helens/st_helens_geo_hist_99.html

 

USA Today (Lori Grisham). ‘‘I’m going to stay right here.’ Lives lost in Mount St. Helens eruption.” 5-17-2015, updated 5-19-2015. Accessed 6-11-2017 at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/05/17/mount-st-helens-people-stayed/27311467/

 

Wikipedia. “1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.” 6-12-2017 edit. Accessed 6-12-2017 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_eruption_of_Mount_St._Helens

 

Wikipedia. “David A. Johnston, 5-18-2017 edit. Accessed 6-13-2017 at:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_A._Johnston

 

[1] Not used as high-range of tally in that no other source reports this figure, and we have found this OJP document unreliable in several other large-loss-of-life incidents.

[2] See our breakout of fatalities by name below, where we show 55 confirmed direct deaths, 5 unconfirmed direct deaths, and four reported indirect deaths. In that Oregon State Univ. website notes seven indirect deaths we take note of that in our tally, though we have yet to find substantiation. The low-range of our tally (55) reflects the non-controversial direct deaths. The high end reflects the unconfirmed direct, as well as the reported ranges for indirect.

[3] Elsewhere on OSU Volcano World site it is noted a crop duster hit power lines during the ashfall, killing the pilot. (Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World.)

[4] Elsewhere, however, we have seen references to only four indirect deaths, and no specifics for those four.

[5] “It was estimated that fifty-seven people lost their lives on that first day.”

[6] “Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, volcanoes or valley shoulders…” (Wikipedia. “Scree.” 1-11-2017 edit.)

[7] USGS also notes 80,000 feet. Dresden has it as 60,000 feet, Gunn at 54,000, and History.com as 10,000.

[8] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[9] Find A Grave posting notes that “on Sunday, 18 May 1980 Wally and co-worker Thomas “Tom” G. Gadwa, 35, of Montesano, were last seen leaving for work from Toledo, Lewis Co., WA at 7:30 AM. They were logging near Shultz Creek, Elk Lake drainage area, in Cowlitz County, approximately 7-10 miles NW of Mt. St. Helens. Wally and Tom were filling in on Keith Ross’s 20 man logging crew doing work for Weyerhauser….Wally and Tom were never found. Some of Wally’s belongings were later located, including his wallet in October 1982.”

[10] Valerie A. Smith; Find A Grave. “Ellen Loy Dill.” Both sources note she was wife of Robert Dill and that they were on their way to the Wenatchee Apple Blossom Festival.

[11] Husband of Ellen. Valerie A. Smith; Find A Grave. “Robert Dill.”

[12] Portland, OR noted as home residence in Find A Grave. “Arlene H Edwards.”

[13] Find A Grave. “Bruce Edward Faddis.” Includes not that he was at the time an associate golf course superintendent at Black Butte Ranch in Sisters, OR. “Last seen about 12:30 p.m. May 17, 1980, at the end of Logging Road 3310, about 3.5 [or 8.5 (unclear)] miles west of Mount St. Helens.” See, also, Valerie Smith.

[14] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006

[15] Was with Wallace “Wally” Norwood Bowers, also lost. Find A Grave. “Thomas George Gadwa.” Also V. Smith.

[16] Highlighted in yellow to denote controversy concerning this listing. According to a Find A Grave posting: “His birthdate, age, place of residence, relatives and actual placement at Mt. St. Helens on May 18, 1980 are unverified… Even worse, in the years that followed, this data has never been made available to the public in any kind of way that might have verified Paul Hiatt’s very existence. The only evidence here [in a New Oregonian newspaper article  “Officials cut 2 from list of Mount St. Helens victims,” copied into this posting] was that he was a ‘guy in Seattle who was down to the mountain a couple weeks before’ without revealing the source of that information. Many people have questioned whether he was ever a victim on Mt. St. Helens at all.” Columbian.com, within its “Mount St. Helens Victims” “Official Unknown” tab writes: “Paul Hiatt may not exist. There is no record of who reported him missing. His address is recorded on a missing-persons form only as ‘the Toutle area.’ Hiatt is one of only two of the Mount St. Helens missing for whom a presumptive death certificate was never issued [Dale Douglas Thayer was the other]. No family member requested a certificate.”

[17] While based out of the USGS branch in Menlo Park, CA, Mr. Johnston was working toward a doctorate at the University of Washington when Mt. St. Helens activity began and he requested to be assigned work there. (Wikipedia. “David A. Johnston, 5-18-2017 edit.) We thus decide to list Washington as his residence at the time.

[18] Also: Find A Grave. “Day Bradley Karr.”

[19] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[20] Find A Grave. “Robert Lynds.” Includes note that the logging truck driver for Weyerhaeuser was at a campsite with his girlfriend well outside the red zone. We could not find “Hanaford Lake” on Google map. See, also, Smith.

[21] “Volunteer volcano watcher/ham radio operator posted near Coldwater Peak, 8 miles NNW of the mountain.” (Find A Grave. “Gerald O Martin.”) See, also, Valerie Smith.

[22] Highlighted in yellow to denote uncertainty. According to Wikipedia: “Cowlitz County Emergency Services Management list them [Melanson and two others] as ‘Possibly Missing — Not on {the official} List,. According to Melanson’s brother, in October 1983, Cowlitz County officials told his family that Melanson ‘is believed{…} a victim of the May 18, 1980, eruption’ and that after years of searching, the family eventually decided ‘he’s buried in the ash’.” (Wikipedia. “1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens.” 6-12-2017 edit.) The Wikipedia note might be based on the Columbian.com webpage “Mount St. Helens Victims,” within its “Unofficial Unknown” tab, which reads: “Mark M. Melanson, 22, bought a 30-day Greyhound bus pass and headed from New Hope, Minn., to Seattle on May 13 with a backpack and a duffel bag. Melanson told family he planned to visit the volcano and then go to San Francisco. Family members contacted search-and-rescue workers after the bus pass expired. Cowlitz County Emergency Services Management wrote Melanson’s brother David in October 1883 to reaffirm ‘it is believed Mark Melanson may be a victim of the May 18, 1980, eruption.’ Melanson’s father searched the West Coast for years before the family ‘decided he’s buried in the ash,’ David Melanson says.” [Blanchard note: it is conceivable that Melanson met an ill-end elsewhere.]

[23] Find A Grave. “Keith A Moore.” Includes note that he was fishing with two companions who “dived into the river to escape the oncoming ash cloud and were unable to find Moore afterward.” See, also, Valerie A. Smith.

[24] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[25] “Last seen about 1:30 p.m. May 17, 1980, with his wife, Eleanor, near their parked mobile home in the gravel turnaround near the Spirit Lake Highway roadblock, 11 miles west of Mount St. Helens.” (Find A Grave. “Edward Joseph Murphy.” See, also, Valerie Smith.)

[26] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[27] Note that she was the wife of Donald Parker, and age from: Find A Grave. “Natalie Ali Parker.”

[28] Find a Grave entry includes newspaper obituary which noted he was a miner, born March 10, 1952, and “Died May 18, 1980, of asphyxiation by volcanic ash in a shack at the Black Rock Mine in the upper Green River Valley, 9.5 miles northeast of Mount St. Helens.”

[29] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006. Camping about three miles outside both the red and blue zones. (Associated Press in Los Angeles Times, 2005.)

[30] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006. Camping about three miles outside both the red and blue zones. (Associated Press in Los Angeles Times, 2005.)

[31] Find A Grave. “Merlin James ‘Jim’ Pluard.” See, also, Valerie A Smith.

[32] Find A Grave. “Ruth Kathleen Pluard.” Notes her body was not recovered. See, also, Valerie A. Smith.

[33] Find A Grave. “Fred D. Rollins.” Includes newspaper obit. which notes he was a retired security guard and died “of asphyxiation by volcanic ash beside his station wagon on the Spirit Lake Highway above Camp Baker, 17 miles northwest of Mount St. Helens. See, also, Valerie A Smith. Mt. St. Helens website.

[34] Obituary found on the same page as her husband, Fred Rollins on the Find A Grave page “Fred D. Rollins.”

[35] Highlighted in yellow to denote uncertainty. The Columbian.com webpage on “Mount St. Helens Victims” lists him in its “Unofficial Unknown” tab, citing Cowlitz County Emergency Services Management records. Notes that his mother reported him missing and noting his plans to visit the Mount St. Helens area.

[36] Find a Grave. “Paul F Schmidt.” Obituary posted on this page notes: “Last seen in Woodburn, Ore., about 2:30 p.m. May 17, 1980, on his way to take pictures of Mount St. Helens. His car later was found in debris near Disappointment Creek, a tributary of the South Fork of the Toutle River, about six miles west of Mount St. Helens.” See, also: Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[37] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website, updated 6-6-2006; AP in LA Times 2005; Find A Grave. “Barbara Lea Seibold.” Posting includes obit noting she was a teacher’s aide at Olympia High School and died “of asphyxiation by volcanic ash in the front passenger seat of her family’s four-wheel-drive vehicle in the headwaters of Hoffstadt Creek, 11 miles northwest of Mount St. Helens.” Their children, Kevin and Michele Morris, also died with them.

[38] Find a Grave. “Ronald Dale Seibold.” Also: Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website, Updated 6-6-2006.

[39] Find A Grave. “Donald James Selby.” Contains note that he “Died May 18, 1980, of explosive disintegration and incineration near his pickup camper on Spud Mountain, seven miles northwest of Mount St. Helens.” Also: Smith.

[40] Find A Grave. “Evlanty V Sharipoff.” Includes note that he died “of asphyxiation by volcanic ash in a hemlock tree beside the North Fork of the Toutle River, 14 miles northwest of Mount St. Helens.” See, also, Valerie A Smith.

[41] Highlighted in yellow to denote controversy with listing. His name is one of 57 on memorial plaque dedicated May 18, 2000. However, the Valerie A Smith website notes: “Whereabouts unknown, but reported on sheriff’s missing list after the May 18 eruption and has not been seen since. He was unemployed.” The Find A Grave posting for Dale Douglas ‘Doug’ Thayer notes “He was presumed to have been fishing on the Toutle River at the time of the eruption. His body was never recovered.” A Columbian.com page on “Mount St. Helens Victims” notes within its “Official Unknown” tab includes the following: “Dale Douglas Thayer, 36, was put on the missing list as Doug Thayer. Four days after the eruption, The Olympian newspaper found an unharmed Doug Thayer relaxing at his parents’ home in Olympia. The woman who supposedly reported Thayer missing later told law enforcement she’d never made that call. It’s unclear whether the missing Thayer’s hometown was Olympia or Kelso. The Social Security Death Index lists a Dale Douglas Thayer as dying in May 1980. A presumptive death certificate was never issued.” Cites as sources for the entirety of listings, (1) Richard B. Waitt (USGS), (2) Ray Blaisdell (Skamania County Sheriffs Office, (3) Cowlitz County Emergency Services Management.

[42] Valeria A Smith. See, also, Find A Grave. “James S. Tute.”

[43] The Find A Grave post includes note she was a receptionist for a doctor’s office at the time and died “of massive blunt-impact injuries to her head when a tree fell on her tent below Miners Creek in the Green River Valley, 14 miles northeast of Mount St. Helens.”

[44] Smith, Valerie A. Mt. St. Helens website. “The Victims of the Eruption.” May 1998, updated 6-6-2006.

[45] Highlighted in yellow to denote uncertainty with listing. According to Columbian.com webpage “Mount St. Helens Victims” within its “Unofficial Unknown” tab: “Steven A Whitsett, 17, of Houston planned to hitchhike to St. Helens, his father told authorities. He was last seen by his family in Texas.”

[46] Find A Grave. “Klaus Zimmerman.” Includes note that his body was found “near the north fork of the Toutle River about 16 miles northwest of the volcano and about a mile from Camp Baker. His car covered in mud, Zimmerman’s body was found sitting in the front seat of his vehicle with the ignition still on. See, also, V. Smith.

[47] We highlight in yellow to denote our inability to locate any specifics concerning these reported deaths.

[48] Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World.

[49] Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World.

[50] Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World.

[51] Oregon State University. “What were the effects on people when Mt St Helens erupted?” Volcano World.