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00:00:05,171 --> 00:00:09,140
(rumbling)
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00:00:09,142 --> 00:00:13,177
Narrator: An unforgettable day in america's history.
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00:00:15,079 --> 00:00:17,315
Officer: We had a major
eruption occurring at 8:32
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00:00:17,317 --> 00:00:20,048
Approximately this morning
on mount st. Helens.
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00:00:20,050 --> 00:00:22,619
Man: The top of the mountain
seems to have been blown away.
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00:00:22,621 --> 00:00:24,519
Man: This was a game changer.
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00:00:24,521 --> 00:00:27,123
Narrator: The eruption of mount st. Helens
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00:00:27,125 --> 00:00:30,927
Was the first of its kind ever filmed.
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00:00:30,929 --> 00:00:35,898
The volcano unleashed four super-sized cataclysms.
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00:00:35,900 --> 00:00:40,535
First, the world's largest landslide ever recorded.
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00:00:40,537 --> 00:00:46,677
Then, an explosion equivalent to 500 hiroshima bombs.
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00:00:48,979 --> 00:00:53,081
Man: It was like you were
being cremated alive.
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00:00:53,083 --> 00:00:57,285
Narrator: Lethal mudflows.
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Sheriff: Get off the bridge!
(whistles)
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00:00:58,858 --> 00:01:01,927
Come on! Get over here!
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00:01:01,929 --> 00:01:07,497
Narrator: And enough ash to cover 12 states.
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00:01:07,499 --> 00:01:08,631
(thud)
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40 years on, digitally remastered archive,
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Eyewitness accounts, and animated photographs
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Reveal why this was the usa's deadliest volcano.
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Man: I really believed I had no
chance of living through this.
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♪ ♪
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Narrator: Welcome to mount st. Helens, before 1980.
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Announcer: A haven for recreational activities
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And youth camps.
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A place as close to heaven as one could get.
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Narrator: The snow-capped giant
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Had slumbered for over a century,
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But that was about to change.
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♪ ♪
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♪ ♪
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Anchorman: There are
rumblings of something big
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About to happen
in washington state.
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Narrator: Deep beneath the northwest corner of the u.S.,
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The giant was slowly waking.
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Reporter: An earthquake hitting 4.3 on the richter scale
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Shook the mountain.
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Reporter: The volcano is spewing a steady stream
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Of ash, smoke, and steam.
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Reporter: And experts say a major explosion is overdue.
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Narrator: The question was,
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When would the big eruption arrive?
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Don swanson, a volcanologist
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With the u.S. Geological survey,
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Was sent in to assess the danger.
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Don swanson:
We're really sort of fumbling
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As to exactly what this means.
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You could see that there were
cracks surrounding the crater,
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Where the summit had collapsed.
50
00:03:08,351 --> 00:03:11,287
The top of the volcano
was a very unstable place,
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And it was breaking up.
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00:03:13,926 --> 00:03:17,228
Narrator: Mount st. Helens had erupted before.
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It lies on one of the earth's most geologically active zones.
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Announcer: A huge linear fault system
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Melts millions of tons of rock.
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Announcer: Every so often, magma rises up into the mountain,
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And the mountain is ready to erupt.
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Narrator: Within a day of the first sign of ash,
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Scientists were monitoring the volcano around the clock.
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A state of emergency was declared.
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Dixy lee ray: Don't go
to mount st. Helens.
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Don't try to get as close
to the mountain as possible.
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Reporter: Roadblocks have been set up.
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The public is prohibited from entering.
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Woman: How would you feel?
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We're paying taxes, and we'd
like to use our property.
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I'm not afraid!
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00:03:59,371 --> 00:04:02,740
Narrator: Deputy sheriff george barker was on duty.
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George barker: Right now people
are coming in at their own risk,
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00:04:04,875 --> 00:04:07,911
And they're signing in and out
at this checkpoint.
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00:04:07,913 --> 00:04:10,648
I was a brand-new deputy,
and now all of a sudden
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They were talking about eruption
and poison gases
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And lava
and this kind of thing.
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00:04:16,021 --> 00:04:21,690
It was all unknown,
and it was like, wow,
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00:04:21,692 --> 00:04:23,194
A real adventure.
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00:04:25,962 --> 00:04:29,631
Narrator: Authorities marked out a restriction zone
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And evacuated hundreds of people.
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Man: You're gonna have to go, and the faster, the better.
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One time, you gotta go!
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00:04:38,645 --> 00:04:43,281
Narrator: But one resident wouldn't budge--harry truman.
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He lived at spirit lake, inside the restriction zone.
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Harry truman: Spirit lake
and mount st. Helens is my life.
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Folks,
I've lived there 50 years.
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It's a part of me.
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00:04:53,658 --> 00:04:56,360
Barker: Truman thought,
this is gonna be lava
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Coming rolling down
the side of the mountain.
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00:04:58,695 --> 00:05:01,631
You simply run away from it,
you drive away from it.
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00:05:01,633 --> 00:05:02,664
Truman: I'll get in my yacht
89
00:05:02,666 --> 00:05:03,735
And get out on the lake,
90
00:05:03,737 --> 00:05:05,035
Get away from that lava
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00:05:05,037 --> 00:05:08,139
If it ever comes down
this far, yeah.
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00:05:08,141 --> 00:05:11,510
Narrator: Most of the world's volcanoes erupt upwards,
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Out of the top.
94
00:05:14,212 --> 00:05:16,680
But instead, mount st. Helens would erupt
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In a way rarely witnessed before.
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♪ ♪
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On the north face, geologists noticed an ominous bulge.
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In a matter of weeks, it would expand by 450 feet.
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00:05:37,069 --> 00:05:39,401
Swanson: These changes
were unprecedented.
100
00:05:39,403 --> 00:05:43,005
There was more and more magma
intruding into the volcano
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And pushing
the north side outward.
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It was a really hectic time.
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Narrator: Don's team included a young geologist
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Called david johnston.
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David johnston:
Its historic eruptions
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Have been very explosive.
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00:05:59,823 --> 00:06:02,192
The initial phases
would produce ashfall
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00:06:02,194 --> 00:06:04,459
All over
southwestern washington.
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00:06:04,461 --> 00:06:06,563
Narrator: David would monitor the bulge
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From a ridge called south coldwater.
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Swanson: We were hoping
that our monitoring
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Would show an increase
in rate of the bulge movement
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00:06:18,644 --> 00:06:20,675
Or something
that we could use to say
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That the volcano was really
building up to a culmination,
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But we never saw that.
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Narrator: For five weeks,
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The volcano intermittently rumbled
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And spewed gases and ash.
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Reporter: As scientists fumble for the truth,
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Everyone else is fumbling to get in on the act
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And make a fast buck.
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♪ what kind of volcano merely burps up ash? ♪
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♪ we want lava, we want lava ♪
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00:06:50,110 --> 00:06:52,474
♪ bubby dooby dooday ♪
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Reporter: It draws people of all sorts.
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They come filled with wonder.
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Man: That was just unbelievable!
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Man: I wanna see it blow.
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00:07:01,118 --> 00:07:03,053
(laughs) it'd be great.
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00:07:05,189 --> 00:07:11,128
Reporter: Sightseers crowded remote logging roads for a view.
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Those who tried hard enough could always find a way in.
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00:07:17,568 --> 00:07:20,570
Narrator: The eruption would arrive with little warning
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And reach far beyond the restriction zone.
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(airplane engine starts)
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Geologist dorothy stoffel headed into the sky,
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Towards mount st. Helens.
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Dorothy stoffel:
It was just a beautiful day.
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It was so serene.
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Narrator: She'd been granted permission
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To photograph the volcano from the air.
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Stoffel: I thought,
it's become dormant again,
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And we missed all the activity.
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00:08:01,546 --> 00:08:04,481
But on the north side
of the mountain,
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We could see water
from melting snow and ice,
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As though the mountain
was weeping on the north side.
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We just had no sense
of anything going to happen.
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Narrator: The meltwater had fast-tracked the volcano
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To its deadly destiny.
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♪ ♪
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On the ground, 7,000 feet below dorothy,
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A student, catherine hickson,
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And her husband had been camping.
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Catherine hickson: We just had
this beautiful panoramic view
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Of the volcano.
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Really not much was going on.
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The volcano was very quiet,
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But the dogs
acted very strangely.
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You often hear
about how animals react
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00:09:01,441 --> 00:09:05,843
Prior to either an earthquake
or an eruption or whatnot.
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00:09:07,411 --> 00:09:09,047
Narrator: Catherine and her husband
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Were nine miles to the east of the volcano.
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Resident harry truman was at his home on spirit lake.
163
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David johnston monitored the bulge
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From south coldwater ridge.
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David and catherine were
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Outside the restriction zone.
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Harry was inside it.
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The u.S. Geological survey in washington state.
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Swanson: Suddenly
the seismographs went bonkers.
170
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The needles just started
jumping all over the place.
171
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Narrator: An earthquake hitting 5.1 on the richter scale
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Ripped through the volcano's core.
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Swanson: I'm not sure I've
ever been so excited before.
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00:10:03,135 --> 00:10:07,237
Narrator: The quake set off a chain of life-changing events,
175
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All of them unstoppable.
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The volcanic monster had woken.
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Making one last pass in her plane,
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Dorothy photographed the first moments of disaster.
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♪ ♪
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Stoffel: Nothing is happening,
and then all of a sudden,
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The ice began to fall
into the summit.
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00:10:43,076 --> 00:10:46,141
And I got so excited.
183
00:10:46,143 --> 00:10:49,312
Narrator: But dorothy was right above a volcano
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00:10:49,314 --> 00:10:53,049
About to unleash its first cataclysm.
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Stoffel: The instant
that I took that second picture,
186
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The most bizarre thing happened.
187
00:11:09,001 --> 00:11:12,170
We could see this fracture
opening up.
188
00:11:12,172 --> 00:11:15,503
Narrator: She photographed the moment of collapse.
189
00:11:18,142 --> 00:11:21,611
Meltwater had penetrated the north face,
190
00:11:21,613 --> 00:11:25,282
Helping to destabilize the bulge.
191
00:11:25,284 --> 00:11:27,782
Stoffel: The whole north side
of the mountain,
192
00:11:27,784 --> 00:11:29,886
It became almost fluid,
193
00:11:29,888 --> 00:11:33,923
Like someone was slicing
the mountain in half.
194
00:11:33,925 --> 00:11:38,294
Narrator: Catherine hickson's husband also took pictures.
195
00:11:38,296 --> 00:11:43,098
They reveal the start of the largest recorded landslide
196
00:11:43,100 --> 00:11:44,769
On earth.
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00:11:44,771 --> 00:11:49,006
Hickson: The landslide
was an amazing event.
198
00:11:49,008 --> 00:11:54,344
The mountain is disintegrating
and is moving.
199
00:11:54,346 --> 00:11:59,015
It was like watching,
on a grand scale,
200
00:11:59,017 --> 00:12:01,352
This giant wave.
201
00:12:04,854 --> 00:12:09,760
Essentially the mountain
falling apart before our eyes.
202
00:12:09,762 --> 00:12:14,964
Narrator: 3.3 billion cubic yards of rock and ice
203
00:12:14,966 --> 00:12:17,902
Hurtled down the volcano.
204
00:12:17,904 --> 00:12:20,202
Stoffel: You expect
mountains to erupt.
205
00:12:20,204 --> 00:12:25,477
You don't expect mountains
to fall apart.
206
00:12:25,479 --> 00:12:26,977
Narrator: The landslide triggered
207
00:12:26,979 --> 00:12:29,781
Something far more powerful.
208
00:12:29,783 --> 00:12:31,214
Stoffel: I thought we were dead.
209
00:12:37,456 --> 00:12:40,491
♪ ♪
210
00:12:40,493 --> 00:12:46,695
♪ ♪
211
00:12:46,697 --> 00:12:49,866
Narrator: An explosion burst out of the north face.
212
00:12:49,868 --> 00:12:55,704
♪ ♪
213
00:12:55,706 --> 00:13:01,312
Stoffel: I was looking directly
down on the blast coming up.
214
00:13:01,314 --> 00:13:06,383
I really thought we were
going to be blown apart.
215
00:13:06,385 --> 00:13:08,749
Narrator: Photographers captured the instantaneous
216
00:13:08,751 --> 00:13:11,853
Pressure release of the magma.
217
00:13:11,855 --> 00:13:15,424
Water inside the volcano flashed to steam.
218
00:13:15,426 --> 00:13:18,695
More than a thousandfold increase in volume,
219
00:13:18,697 --> 00:13:23,599
Catapulting the eruption into a massive explosion.
220
00:13:23,601 --> 00:13:28,870
Hickson: We just saw
this writhing, boiling cloud,
221
00:13:28,872 --> 00:13:32,640
Blacks and grays
just shooting out to the north.
222
00:13:35,180 --> 00:13:39,415
Narrator: Scientists call it a pyroclastic surge--
223
00:13:39,417 --> 00:13:43,019
A blast of rock, ice, and gas
224
00:13:43,021 --> 00:13:48,490
Superheated up to 660 degrees fahrenheit,
225
00:13:48,492 --> 00:13:52,394
Accelerating to speeds over 600 miles per hour.
226
00:13:54,967 --> 00:13:56,565
Hickson:
This eruption was getting
227
00:13:56,567 --> 00:13:58,502
Bigger and bigger and bigger,
228
00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:03,706
Faster and faster than anything
that I could have anticipated.
229
00:14:08,413 --> 00:14:13,148
Narrator: The blast threatened to engulf dorothy's plane.
230
00:14:13,150 --> 00:14:17,152
Stoffel: The pilot put
our airplane into a nosedive
231
00:14:17,154 --> 00:14:19,356
To try to outrun the blast.
232
00:14:24,362 --> 00:14:29,864
I can't emphasize enough
how quickly the blast developed
233
00:14:29,866 --> 00:14:34,035
Into enormous proportions.
234
00:14:34,037 --> 00:14:37,339
I thought, "we're going
to disappear from this earth,
235
00:14:37,341 --> 00:14:40,610
And my mother's never gonna
know what happened to me."
236
00:14:42,879 --> 00:14:45,281
Narrator: The blast was visible to climbers
237
00:14:45,283 --> 00:14:49,851
On peaks over 30 miles away,
238
00:14:49,853 --> 00:14:55,460
An explosion equivalent to 500 hiroshima bombs.
239
00:14:59,295 --> 00:15:02,697
The pilot's maneuver saved their lives.
240
00:15:05,637 --> 00:15:11,172
Stoffel: The whole experience
was very eerie and strange.
241
00:15:11,174 --> 00:15:16,413
It was a sense of awe,
wonderment.
242
00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:21,851
It was amazing that so much
earth could be destroyed
243
00:15:21,853 --> 00:15:24,288
In such a brief instant.
244
00:15:31,161 --> 00:15:35,196
Narrator: Two catastrophic events were in motion.
245
00:15:35,198 --> 00:15:37,401
One, the massive landslide
246
00:15:37,403 --> 00:15:40,234
Traveled over 100 miles an hour,
247
00:15:40,236 --> 00:15:45,775
Eventually spilling 14 miles
down the toutle valley.
248
00:15:45,777 --> 00:15:49,480
And two, the pyroclastic surge.
249
00:15:49,482 --> 00:15:53,284
In two minutes, it covered almost seven miles,
250
00:15:53,286 --> 00:15:55,650
Destroying spirit lake
251
00:15:55,652 --> 00:16:00,721
And engulfing south coldwater ridge.
252
00:16:00,723 --> 00:16:04,058
Harry truman was killed,
253
00:16:04,060 --> 00:16:07,863
Buried beneath 150 feet of debris.
254
00:16:12,002 --> 00:16:14,771
A similar fate for david johnston
255
00:16:14,773 --> 00:16:19,508
At his monitoring post.
256
00:16:19,510 --> 00:16:22,146
Swanson: It really hit home hard
257
00:16:22,148 --> 00:16:27,083
That we'd lost a colleague
and a friend,
258
00:16:27,085 --> 00:16:31,687
And, and that's when,
that's when the tears began.
259
00:16:31,689 --> 00:16:32,720
♪ ♪
260
00:16:32,722 --> 00:16:35,991
♪ ♪
261
00:16:38,931 --> 00:16:41,529
Narrator: The size and direction of the eruption
262
00:16:41,531 --> 00:16:44,699
Made it much more destructive than predicted.
263
00:16:48,772 --> 00:16:52,341
Mount st. Helens had exploded sideways,
264
00:16:52,343 --> 00:16:57,745
The first lateral blast ever recorded in real time.
265
00:17:02,689 --> 00:17:06,187
In their car, catherine, her husband, and their dogs
266
00:17:06,189 --> 00:17:09,924
Were trying to outrun the growing blast.
267
00:17:09,926 --> 00:17:11,728
Hickson:
I was looking backwards,
268
00:17:11,730 --> 00:17:14,965
Basically seeing
this incredible cloud
269
00:17:14,967 --> 00:17:21,770
Just moving much faster
than we were, in fact, moving.
270
00:17:21,772 --> 00:17:28,044
It was the most terrifying
moments of the entire eruption.
271
00:17:28,046 --> 00:17:30,244
I knew it would be hot,
272
00:17:30,246 --> 00:17:32,882
It would potentially
suffocate us,
273
00:17:32,884 --> 00:17:34,648
And that would be the end.
274
00:17:36,921 --> 00:17:39,690
Narrator: And for some, it was.
275
00:17:48,468 --> 00:17:50,366
Narrator: Catherine and her husband
276
00:17:50,368 --> 00:17:52,336
Were far enough east of the volcano
277
00:17:52,338 --> 00:17:54,603
To escape with their lives.
278
00:17:56,909 --> 00:17:59,974
Hickson: It was a feeling
of incredible relief,
279
00:17:59,976 --> 00:18:02,645
But also incredible wonder.
280
00:18:02,647 --> 00:18:08,953
Like, what we had witnessed
was truly phenomenal.
281
00:18:08,955 --> 00:18:12,053
Narrator: The pyroclastic surge was spreading north,
282
00:18:12,055 --> 00:18:15,023
Far beyond the restriction zone.
283
00:18:19,630 --> 00:18:25,902
♪ ♪
284
00:18:25,904 --> 00:18:27,702
Minutes before the eruption,
285
00:18:27,704 --> 00:18:32,873
Logger jim scymanky felled trees with two co-workers,
286
00:18:32,875 --> 00:18:35,644
While another logger, jose dias,
287
00:18:35,646 --> 00:18:38,681
Rested in a nearby truck.
288
00:18:38,683 --> 00:18:42,152
Jim scymanky:
A beautiful morning, gorgeous.
289
00:18:42,154 --> 00:18:45,956
We didn't hear
too much wildlife, though.
290
00:18:45,958 --> 00:18:49,760
Narrator: Jim was over 12 miles from the volcano,
291
00:18:49,762 --> 00:18:54,498
Outside the restriction zone.
292
00:18:54,500 --> 00:18:57,935
He had no idea that he was about to get caught
293
00:18:57,937 --> 00:19:01,235
In a blast hurtling towards him.
294
00:19:01,237 --> 00:19:04,439
(boom)
295
00:19:04,441 --> 00:19:06,310
(beeping)
296
00:19:06,312 --> 00:19:08,910
(boom)
297
00:19:13,449 --> 00:19:14,851
Scymanky: As we were working,
298
00:19:14,853 --> 00:19:19,256
We heard somebody
screaming and yelling.
299
00:19:19,258 --> 00:19:23,926
The next thing we saw
was jose dias
300
00:19:23,928 --> 00:19:27,997
Come running down
through the woods, screaming,
301
00:19:27,999 --> 00:19:30,064
"the volcano's exploding!"
302
00:19:30,066 --> 00:19:31,935
(screaming)
303
00:19:31,937 --> 00:19:34,401
We couldn't believe it.
We didn't hear anything.
304
00:19:34,403 --> 00:19:36,805
And then I turned back around,
305
00:19:36,807 --> 00:19:40,476
And that's when I heard
this huge roaring sound
306
00:19:40,478 --> 00:19:42,309
Coming through the woods.
307
00:19:42,311 --> 00:19:47,118
Narrator: Approaching them, the superheated pyroclastic surge.
308
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:48,818
Scymanky: It sounded like
freight trains coming through.
309
00:19:48,820 --> 00:19:50,118
It was just a huge roar.
310
00:19:50,120 --> 00:19:53,155
You couldn't hear anything.
Deafening.
311
00:19:53,157 --> 00:19:55,892
Unbelievable.
312
00:19:55,894 --> 00:20:00,130
And this thing was so fast,
it just overtook you in seconds.
313
00:20:00,132 --> 00:20:03,501
Narrator: The blast hit the four loggers.
314
00:20:03,503 --> 00:20:08,171
Scymanky:
It just turned pitch-black.
315
00:20:08,173 --> 00:20:13,975
Narrator: They were smothered by superheated gases and ash.
316
00:20:13,977 --> 00:20:17,213
Scymanky: We were being
pummeled with god knows what.
317
00:20:17,215 --> 00:20:20,817
It was like you were
being cremated alive.
318
00:20:20,819 --> 00:20:24,588
You know, the pain
was just unreal.
319
00:20:24,590 --> 00:20:27,454
Narrator: Deadly quantities of pulverized rock
320
00:20:27,456 --> 00:20:29,525
Clogged his airways.
321
00:20:29,527 --> 00:20:30,658
Scymanky: You couldn't breathe.
322
00:20:30,660 --> 00:20:32,229
Trying to take a breath
(inhales)
323
00:20:32,231 --> 00:20:34,329
Nothing, zero oxygen.
324
00:20:36,435 --> 00:20:38,933
I knew I was gonna die
right there.
325
00:20:43,973 --> 00:20:48,379
Narrator: The blast fanned north, east, and west
326
00:20:48,381 --> 00:20:51,346
For up to 19 miles,
327
00:20:51,348 --> 00:20:55,750
Scorching and flattening everything it touched.
328
00:20:55,752 --> 00:20:59,220
Barely four minutes into the eruption,
329
00:20:59,222 --> 00:21:04,291
It's estimated the volcano had taken more than 40 lives,
330
00:21:04,293 --> 00:21:07,895
Some of the first recorded fatalities from a volcano
331
00:21:07,897 --> 00:21:09,866
In the continental u.S.
332
00:21:17,143 --> 00:21:21,312
At the same time, a young news cameraman, david crockett,
333
00:21:21,314 --> 00:21:25,012
Was making his getaway by car
334
00:21:25,014 --> 00:21:28,049
Five miles west of the mountain.
335
00:21:28,051 --> 00:21:29,820
He was about to get trapped
336
00:21:29,822 --> 00:21:32,720
By the volcano's third catastrophe--
337
00:21:32,722 --> 00:21:36,191
Deadly mudflows known as lahars.
338
00:21:38,963 --> 00:21:43,765
(rumbling)
339
00:21:51,142 --> 00:21:52,340
David crockett:
I thought, oh, here we go,
340
00:21:52,342 --> 00:21:55,144
It's just
a normal eruption again,
341
00:21:55,146 --> 00:21:58,182
And I'll have my footage
in 15 minutes
342
00:21:58,184 --> 00:22:00,015
And be back home by lunch.
343
00:22:00,017 --> 00:22:03,919
I was not expecting
what happened, absolutely not.
344
00:22:06,259 --> 00:22:09,157
Right in front of me,
there was just this explosion
345
00:22:09,159 --> 00:22:11,961
Of mud and trees and rocks.
346
00:22:11,963 --> 00:22:14,998
I had no place to drive.
347
00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,998
Narrator: He started filming.
348
00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:19,402
Heat from the eruption
349
00:22:19,404 --> 00:22:22,169
Had melted mount st. Helens' ice cap,
350
00:22:22,171 --> 00:22:26,844
Unleashing billions of gallons of water from the summit,
351
00:22:26,846 --> 00:22:29,377
Creating lethal lahars,
352
00:22:29,379 --> 00:22:33,481
Thick with volcanic debris and ash.
353
00:22:33,483 --> 00:22:37,185
David needed to escape to higher ground.
354
00:22:37,187 --> 00:22:39,389
Crockett: I knew
I had to try to wade
355
00:22:39,391 --> 00:22:42,656
Across this flow in front of me.
356
00:22:42,658 --> 00:22:44,827
Grabbed my camera.
I had no choice.
357
00:22:44,829 --> 00:22:47,631
I waded into it
about thigh deep.
358
00:22:47,633 --> 00:22:50,264
Felt like warm concrete.
359
00:22:50,266 --> 00:22:57,106
I still have trouble believing I
made it across that, but I did.
360
00:22:57,108 --> 00:23:01,343
Narrator: But above him, another danger loomed--
361
00:23:01,345 --> 00:23:05,514
A plume of rock and ash.
362
00:23:05,516 --> 00:23:08,018
Crockett:
It was just incredible.
363
00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:11,618
It was hard to make sense
out of the scale of it.
364
00:23:11,620 --> 00:23:14,989
This enormous cloud
just blocking out the sky,
365
00:23:14,991 --> 00:23:19,326
Just full of purples
and blacks and greens
366
00:23:19,328 --> 00:23:22,097
And lightning everywhere.
367
00:23:22,099 --> 00:23:25,701
Narrator: Miles high and growing.
368
00:23:25,703 --> 00:23:29,005
Crockett: It was just hard
to wrap my mind around.
369
00:23:29,007 --> 00:23:31,639
It was awesomely beautiful
370
00:23:31,641 --> 00:23:35,009
And awesomely scary
at the same time.
371
00:23:35,011 --> 00:23:37,080
Narrator: But the ash was falling,
372
00:23:37,082 --> 00:23:39,547
Bringing a suffocating darkness.
373
00:23:39,549 --> 00:23:41,017
Crockett:
The valley was literally
374
00:23:41,019 --> 00:23:42,784
Disappearing behind me.
375
00:23:42,786 --> 00:23:45,688
Narrator: The volcano's fourth cataclysm was coming.
376
00:23:54,597 --> 00:23:56,866
Narrator: Within half an hour of the blast,
377
00:23:56,868 --> 00:24:01,636
The fourth cataclysm-- a menacing cloud of ash.
378
00:24:04,909 --> 00:24:06,340
(phone rings)
379
00:24:06,342 --> 00:24:07,340
Crockett: This is dave from the comms center.
380
00:24:07,342 --> 00:24:08,978
Man: Hello, dave.
381
00:24:08,980 --> 00:24:10,311
Crockett: Have you had a chance to look out your windows yet?
382
00:24:10,313 --> 00:24:11,715
Man: No, not really.
383
00:24:11,717 --> 00:24:13,015
Crockett: We got about a 40,000-foot cloud
384
00:24:13,017 --> 00:24:14,349
Above the top of the mountain
385
00:24:14,351 --> 00:24:19,686
And filling the entire county and sky.
386
00:24:19,688 --> 00:24:24,028
Narrator: The column of destruction poured upwards,
387
00:24:24,030 --> 00:24:26,994
More than 12 miles high.
388
00:24:26,996 --> 00:24:29,898
Barker: This disaster got
bigger and bigger and bigger.
389
00:24:29,900 --> 00:24:32,202
Officer: We had a major
eruption occurring at 8:32
390
00:24:32,204 --> 00:24:34,602
Approximately this morning
on mount st. Helens.
391
00:24:34,604 --> 00:24:37,473
Barker: It kept escalating
as to how many
392
00:24:37,475 --> 00:24:40,944
Different agencies
needed to respond.
393
00:24:40,946 --> 00:24:44,077
Narrator: Deputy george barker's task was to head out
394
00:24:44,079 --> 00:24:46,815
And warn of the approaching mudflows.
395
00:24:49,387 --> 00:24:51,152
Barker: A sergeant came
on the air and said,
396
00:24:51,154 --> 00:24:52,623
"I'm gonna say it plainly,
397
00:24:52,625 --> 00:24:54,556
But there's gonna be
a lot of deaths."
398
00:24:54,558 --> 00:24:58,627
I realized, it's pretty serious.
399
00:24:58,629 --> 00:25:00,194
Newscaster: The news
this morning is of human beings
400
00:25:00,196 --> 00:25:02,231
Trying to comprehend
what nature is doing to them.
401
00:25:02,233 --> 00:25:04,764
We're not used to volcanoes
in this country.
402
00:25:04,766 --> 00:25:07,435
Reporter: It's a frightening
tale of survival in a nightmare.
403
00:25:07,437 --> 00:25:11,739
♪ ♪
404
00:25:11,741 --> 00:25:14,877
Crockett: Dear god, this is hell on earth I'm walking through.
405
00:25:14,879 --> 00:25:16,543
Aw, god!
406
00:25:16,545 --> 00:25:18,514
Narrator: News cameraman david crockett
407
00:25:18,516 --> 00:25:21,218
Filmed his terrifying experience
408
00:25:21,220 --> 00:25:24,252
From deep within the ash cloud.
409
00:25:24,254 --> 00:25:27,456
Crockett: I can hear the mountain behind me rumbling.
410
00:25:27,458 --> 00:25:29,356
I feel the ash now in my eyes.
411
00:25:29,358 --> 00:25:31,926
It's getting very hard to breathe.
412
00:25:31,928 --> 00:25:33,664
It's the strangest feeling.
413
00:25:33,666 --> 00:25:39,535
I really believed I had no
chance of living through this.
414
00:25:39,537 --> 00:25:44,272
Narrator: Fine ash particles were slowly asphyxiating him.
415
00:25:44,274 --> 00:25:45,672
Crockett: Oh, dear god!
416
00:25:45,674 --> 00:25:48,476
It was in my nose.
It was in my mouth.
417
00:25:48,478 --> 00:25:52,780
Oh, god, if I can just keep walking.
418
00:25:52,782 --> 00:25:55,718
If there's more air to breathe.
419
00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,651
There were constant earthquakes.
420
00:25:57,653 --> 00:26:00,322
The ground was moving
the whole time.
421
00:26:00,324 --> 00:26:04,259
Just about every sensory
experience you could,
422
00:26:04,261 --> 00:26:06,430
You could feel was going on.
423
00:26:06,432 --> 00:26:08,430
(coughing)
424
00:26:08,432 --> 00:26:10,567
I didn't realize how badly I wanted to live.
425
00:26:14,369 --> 00:26:16,905
Narrator: The forestry service sent in a plane
426
00:26:16,907 --> 00:26:19,509
To assess the destruction.
427
00:26:19,511 --> 00:26:22,609
Volcanologist don swanson seized the chance
428
00:26:22,611 --> 00:26:27,717
To film the eruption from the air.
429
00:26:27,719 --> 00:26:30,854
Swanson: Being able
to see it up close
430
00:26:30,856 --> 00:26:33,954
Was really quite
an emotional experience for me
431
00:26:33,956 --> 00:26:39,696
Because here it was happening
right in, right in front of me.
432
00:26:39,698 --> 00:26:42,863
Narrator: His footage reveals the twisting helix
433
00:26:42,865 --> 00:26:46,733
Of gas, rock, and ash.
434
00:26:46,735 --> 00:26:48,671
Swanson: It looked like
the head of a cauliflower,
435
00:26:48,673 --> 00:26:52,842
But much more ominous
and much dirtier.
436
00:26:52,844 --> 00:26:57,146
It was just frustrating
that we couldn't get closer.
437
00:26:57,148 --> 00:26:58,779
Narrator: Through the ash,
438
00:26:58,781 --> 00:27:02,850
He glimpsed what was left of mount st. Helens.
439
00:27:02,852 --> 00:27:04,187
Swanson: I said to myself,
440
00:27:04,189 --> 00:27:07,521
"oh, no, this can't
have happened."
441
00:27:07,523 --> 00:27:12,462
The top of the mountain
was gone.
442
00:27:12,464 --> 00:27:16,399
Narrator: The blast had obliterated 1,300 feet
443
00:27:16,401 --> 00:27:21,437
Of rock and ice from the summit.
444
00:27:21,439 --> 00:27:26,508
The column of ash rose out of a crater over a mile wide.
445
00:27:28,947 --> 00:27:32,449
Swanson: That destruction
amazed and shocked me.
446
00:27:32,451 --> 00:27:35,449
♪ ♪
447
00:27:35,451 --> 00:27:40,491
♪ ♪
448
00:27:46,063 --> 00:27:49,099
Narrator: The ash spread.
449
00:27:49,101 --> 00:27:51,466
Day became night.
450
00:27:51,468 --> 00:27:53,270
Reporter: In yakima,
washington, this morning,
451
00:27:53,272 --> 00:27:55,303
85 miles north
of mount st. Helens,
452
00:27:55,305 --> 00:27:56,703
It was like midnight.
453
00:27:56,705 --> 00:27:58,474
Streetlights
came on automatically,
454
00:27:58,476 --> 00:28:02,278
And many cars stalled when
the ash clogged carburetors.
455
00:28:04,746 --> 00:28:06,615
Narrator: Downwind of the volcano,
456
00:28:06,617 --> 00:28:11,586
In the town of ephrata, townsfolk stopped and stared.
457
00:28:11,588 --> 00:28:14,290
What appeared to be an approaching storm
458
00:28:14,292 --> 00:28:16,957
Was the expanding ash cloud,
459
00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:20,928
Already 140 miles from the volcano.
460
00:28:27,471 --> 00:28:31,140
Somehow, logger jim scymanky and his co-workers
461
00:28:31,142 --> 00:28:33,573
Had survived.
462
00:28:33,575 --> 00:28:36,311
Scymanky: I looked at them,
and I thought, "oh, my god.
463
00:28:36,313 --> 00:28:37,948
They look horrible."
464
00:28:39,550 --> 00:28:43,152
My clothes were welded
to me basically.
465
00:28:43,154 --> 00:28:46,089
My gloves
were welded to my hands,
466
00:28:46,091 --> 00:28:48,956
And we were in so much pain.
467
00:28:48,958 --> 00:28:51,927
I was wondering, "god, I wonder
how long it takes to die."
468
00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:58,468
Narrator: They walked for miles in search of help.
469
00:28:58,470 --> 00:29:00,568
Scymanky:
The landscape was gone.
470
00:29:00,570 --> 00:29:02,806
You had no bearing.
471
00:29:02,808 --> 00:29:05,606
Narrator: This is all that remained of the forest
472
00:29:05,608 --> 00:29:10,177
Where jim had worked, just 90 minutes earlier.
473
00:29:10,179 --> 00:29:13,581
Scymanky: Everything was
just smoldering and down.
474
00:29:13,583 --> 00:29:17,718
Just us and the devastation.
475
00:29:19,824 --> 00:29:23,193
Narrator: A few miles away, the ash had cleared
476
00:29:23,195 --> 00:29:26,693
And david crockett could breathe once again.
477
00:29:26,695 --> 00:29:31,030
Crockett: I had my still camera,
and I just, click, I made it!
478
00:29:34,170 --> 00:29:38,739
I think you can see
a pretty big smile on my face.
479
00:29:38,741 --> 00:29:41,276
That's the first moment
I thought,
480
00:29:41,278 --> 00:29:43,647
"hey, I might make it
out of here alive.
481
00:29:43,649 --> 00:29:46,147
This is amazing!"
482
00:29:46,149 --> 00:29:50,084
Narrator: But the eruption was reaching a new violent phase,
483
00:29:50,086 --> 00:29:52,755
And the muddy lahars were wreaking havoc
484
00:29:52,757 --> 00:29:54,388
In the valleys below.
485
00:30:13,676 --> 00:30:16,344
Narrator: Nearly four hours after the blast,
486
00:30:16,346 --> 00:30:19,782
The eruption was in full flow.
487
00:30:19,784 --> 00:30:25,153
Lava blocks and pumice spewed out from the crater,
488
00:30:25,155 --> 00:30:27,157
Heaping yet more devastation
489
00:30:27,159 --> 00:30:30,090
Onto the north side of the volcano.
490
00:30:32,696 --> 00:30:35,098
The lahars roared down the mountain,
491
00:30:35,100 --> 00:30:37,265
Gathering pace and power.
492
00:30:37,267 --> 00:30:38,902
Man on radio: All units, toutle area,
493
00:30:38,904 --> 00:30:42,136
Have report of a mudflow three-quarters of a mile
494
00:30:42,138 --> 00:30:46,706
To one mile wide coming down the toutle.
495
00:30:46,708 --> 00:30:50,110
Narrator: A 20-foot-high wall of water
496
00:30:50,112 --> 00:30:54,881
Carried a lethal load of sediment and logs.
497
00:30:58,121 --> 00:31:01,889
Jim scymanky witnessed this rare force of nature
498
00:31:01,891 --> 00:31:05,593
In the valley below him.
499
00:31:05,595 --> 00:31:08,231
Scymanky: Just unbelievable!
500
00:31:08,233 --> 00:31:09,664
It had trailers in it.
501
00:31:09,666 --> 00:31:14,035
It had heavy equipment
like bulldozers.
502
00:31:14,037 --> 00:31:19,106
It had parts of houses,
trees, huge trees,
503
00:31:19,108 --> 00:31:22,010
And just rolling, slow roll.
504
00:31:22,012 --> 00:31:26,147
It was just engulfing
everything.
505
00:31:26,149 --> 00:31:27,614
Narrator: Downstream,
506
00:31:27,616 --> 00:31:30,585
It threatened bridges and highways,
507
00:31:30,587 --> 00:31:35,389
Vital escape routes away from the volcano.
508
00:31:35,391 --> 00:31:37,460
(crash)
509
00:31:37,462 --> 00:31:40,126
Man: Woo!
510
00:31:40,128 --> 00:31:42,597
Sheriff: Get off the bridge!
(whistles)
511
00:31:42,599 --> 00:31:46,034
Come on! Get over here!
512
00:31:46,036 --> 00:31:49,205
Narrator: Deputy george barker saw the lahars
513
00:31:49,207 --> 00:31:53,376
Approach the toutle bridge.
514
00:31:53,378 --> 00:31:56,643
Barker: Bob is screaming
on the radio,
515
00:31:56,645 --> 00:31:58,747
"clear the bridges!
516
00:31:58,749 --> 00:32:01,484
Clear the bridges!"
517
00:32:01,486 --> 00:32:04,784
I saw that bridge go out.
518
00:32:04,786 --> 00:32:10,592
It was a big span, and it went
down pretty relatively quick.
519
00:32:10,594 --> 00:32:14,430
Truthfully, I was very afraid
of what was happening,
520
00:32:14,432 --> 00:32:16,396
For my own sake.
521
00:32:18,669 --> 00:32:21,571
Narrator: For hours, the lahars funneled down
522
00:32:21,573 --> 00:32:24,438
Both forks of the toutle river,
523
00:32:24,440 --> 00:32:28,075
Putting a dozen bridges out of action.
524
00:32:28,077 --> 00:32:29,512
♪ ♪
525
00:32:29,514 --> 00:32:36,350
♪ ♪
526
00:32:36,352 --> 00:32:39,054
The scale of destruction was beyond the scope
527
00:32:39,056 --> 00:32:41,254
Of the local counties.
528
00:32:41,256 --> 00:32:43,158
Man on radio: We're gonna have a real problem down below,
529
00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:45,125
That's all I can say right now.
530
00:32:47,831 --> 00:32:50,400
Narrator: The national guard was called up...
531
00:32:54,739 --> 00:32:58,004
Including pilot jess hagerman...
532
00:33:00,110 --> 00:33:04,012
And darald stebner, a vietnam veteran.
533
00:33:07,185 --> 00:33:09,583
Stebner and hagerman's task
534
00:33:09,585 --> 00:33:11,954
Was to fly into the blast zone...
535
00:33:11,956 --> 00:33:15,924
Pilot: Oh, that's some
hot ground, boy, and on. Gee!
536
00:33:15,926 --> 00:33:19,128
Narrator: ...And search for survivors.
537
00:33:19,130 --> 00:33:20,528
Jess hagerman:
We didn't know in those days
538
00:33:20,530 --> 00:33:22,528
What this thing was all about,
539
00:33:22,530 --> 00:33:25,866
And we didn't have a clue
of where we were going
540
00:33:25,868 --> 00:33:29,870
Or what we were gonna find.
541
00:33:29,872 --> 00:33:34,207
Narrator: They had to fly toward the erupting volcano.
542
00:33:34,209 --> 00:33:37,012
Darald stebner: "this is
scarier than vietnam," I said,
543
00:33:37,014 --> 00:33:41,016
"because there's no place
we can go with this thing."
544
00:33:41,018 --> 00:33:45,353
You don't know if that thing's
gonna erupt again.
545
00:33:45,355 --> 00:33:49,024
And the eruption has
a much more severe consequence
546
00:33:49,026 --> 00:33:52,261
Than an ak-47 round.
547
00:33:52,263 --> 00:33:57,365
Hagerman: It was unbelievable,
the power of this cloud.
548
00:33:57,367 --> 00:34:00,203
And you're flying around
in this little bitty helicopter,
549
00:34:00,205 --> 00:34:05,207
And you think, like, it's like
a gnat in the universe.
550
00:34:07,813 --> 00:34:09,178
Narrator: Beneath them,
551
00:34:09,180 --> 00:34:12,548
A colorless, lifeless landscape.
552
00:34:12,550 --> 00:34:16,786
Hagerman: The sky, the ground,
everything was the same color.
553
00:34:16,788 --> 00:34:19,286
It was all covered with ash.
554
00:34:21,592 --> 00:34:24,861
Stebner: I'm stumbling
for words now. I was then, too.
555
00:34:24,863 --> 00:34:26,527
It was just that
it was so overwhelming,
556
00:34:26,529 --> 00:34:29,031
Where does one start?
557
00:34:31,300 --> 00:34:36,740
Narrator: No trees were left standing.
558
00:34:36,742 --> 00:34:38,373
Hagerman: It just looked
like somebody had taken
559
00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:43,077
A great big giant comb
and just combed 'em down.
560
00:34:43,079 --> 00:34:46,014
All the trees were laying
in the same direction.
561
00:34:48,416 --> 00:34:50,952
Stebner: You just can't believe
what you're looking at.
562
00:34:50,954 --> 00:34:53,189
Pilot: Nothing matches the map.
563
00:34:53,191 --> 00:34:55,856
Narrator: Landmarks had been obliterated.
564
00:34:55,858 --> 00:34:59,193
Pilot: Where's spirit lake? Is that it over there?
565
00:34:59,195 --> 00:35:02,697
Doesn't look like any place I've ever been before.
566
00:35:02,699 --> 00:35:05,168
Narrator: Lost within the devastation,
567
00:35:05,170 --> 00:35:07,602
The volcano's victims.
568
00:35:11,808 --> 00:35:15,243
Stebner: How could anybody
survive the initial blast
569
00:35:15,245 --> 00:35:17,947
With what it did
to those trees?
570
00:35:24,987 --> 00:35:28,989
Narrator: About eight hours in, a lahar was reaching its peak
571
00:35:28,991 --> 00:35:32,693
20 miles down the toutle valley,
572
00:35:32,695 --> 00:35:39,234
Where photographers captured an astonishing act of bravery.
573
00:35:39,236 --> 00:35:42,238
Two brothers, robert and john brown,
574
00:35:42,240 --> 00:35:45,238
Attempted to free some horses.
575
00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:48,776
Robert brown: They had just as
much a right to live as we did.
576
00:35:48,778 --> 00:35:50,580
We gave it a shot.
577
00:35:50,582 --> 00:35:52,813
Narrator: For half an hour, they fought to drive them
578
00:35:52,815 --> 00:35:56,817
Over a railroad track to dry land,
579
00:35:56,819 --> 00:36:00,155
But nature proved too powerful.
580
00:36:00,157 --> 00:36:04,092
Brown: I looked up, and I saw
a wave of mud coming at us.
581
00:36:04,094 --> 00:36:07,863
Narrator: Another surge approached.
582
00:36:07,865 --> 00:36:10,463
Brown: We were between
a rock and a hard spot.
583
00:36:10,465 --> 00:36:13,700
John, he just passed out
right there on the spot,
584
00:36:13,702 --> 00:36:16,071
From just exhaustion.
585
00:36:16,073 --> 00:36:19,109
We had to give up on the horses.
586
00:36:19,111 --> 00:36:25,113
Narrator: On the mountain, a glimmer of hope--footprints.
587
00:36:25,115 --> 00:36:26,613
Hagerman:
Naturally, you're excited
588
00:36:26,615 --> 00:36:30,217
Because somebody's alive
out here,
589
00:36:30,219 --> 00:36:32,587
And we're gonna find somebody.
590
00:36:38,295 --> 00:36:43,998
♪ ♪
591
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,868
Hagerman: All of a sudden, we
see two guys laying on the road.
592
00:36:48,870 --> 00:36:51,372
Scymanky:
They came out of nowhere,
593
00:36:51,374 --> 00:36:55,243
And they were hovering
right above us.
594
00:36:55,245 --> 00:36:58,481
Narrator: Jim scymanky and one other logger
595
00:36:58,483 --> 00:37:02,751
Collapsed in the ashy wasteland.
596
00:37:02,753 --> 00:37:04,985
Scymanky: I think I waved my arm
up or something, you know,
597
00:37:04,987 --> 00:37:07,122
I had some strength left.
598
00:37:07,124 --> 00:37:12,593
Narrator: But landing a chopper in deep ash risked a collision.
599
00:37:12,595 --> 00:37:13,826
Scymanky: The ash was so deep,
600
00:37:13,828 --> 00:37:15,964
It would just
blow it everywhere,
601
00:37:15,966 --> 00:37:17,097
And you couldn't even see
the helicopter.
602
00:37:17,099 --> 00:37:19,801
You couldn't see anything.
603
00:37:19,803 --> 00:37:21,901
Hagerman: It just
completely engulfed you.
604
00:37:21,903 --> 00:37:23,372
Just before you land,
605
00:37:23,374 --> 00:37:25,572
Three or four feet
before you hit the ground,
606
00:37:25,574 --> 00:37:28,209
You can see the ground.
607
00:37:28,211 --> 00:37:30,143
Narrator: At the fringe of the blast zone,
608
00:37:30,145 --> 00:37:35,451
Logger jim had barely survived.
609
00:37:35,453 --> 00:37:37,384
Reporter: The men caught
on mount st. Helens this morning
610
00:37:37,386 --> 00:37:38,788
Are now at emanuel hospital,
611
00:37:38,790 --> 00:37:42,892
Severely burned
by hot gases and ash.
612
00:37:42,894 --> 00:37:44,992
Scymanky: But we'd been
out there for seven hours.
613
00:37:44,994 --> 00:37:46,559
That's a long, long time.
614
00:37:46,561 --> 00:37:50,463
Oh, the doctor
said it was a miracle.
615
00:37:50,465 --> 00:37:52,500
Narrator: Inside the blast zone,
616
00:37:52,502 --> 00:37:56,038
Darald stebner was still searching.
617
00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:59,175
Stebner: We saw this large log
up ahead of us there,
618
00:37:59,177 --> 00:38:03,075
And there was somebody
moving on it.
619
00:38:03,077 --> 00:38:06,046
And my gosh,
we got a closer look,
620
00:38:06,048 --> 00:38:11,387
And there was a gentleman
sitting up on this felled tree.
621
00:38:11,389 --> 00:38:14,188
Narrator: Logger jose dias.
622
00:38:14,190 --> 00:38:19,458
Stebner: He was hunched down.
He was hurting.
623
00:38:19,460 --> 00:38:22,529
I think he just felt
totally exhausted.
624
00:38:25,202 --> 00:38:29,104
Narrator: Another rescue team noticed a distress signal.
625
00:38:29,106 --> 00:38:34,875
Three small fires led them to cameraman david crockett.
626
00:38:34,877 --> 00:38:36,945
Crockett: It is so arrogant,
but I felt like,
627
00:38:36,947 --> 00:38:40,416
Oh, this is all
part of a day's work.
628
00:38:40,418 --> 00:38:42,550
That's what it felt like
at the time.
629
00:38:42,552 --> 00:38:44,254
Looking back now,
630
00:38:44,256 --> 00:38:50,691
At the people who risked
their lives to save me, um...
631
00:38:53,564 --> 00:38:55,862
I, of course, feel
a lot differently.
632
00:38:55,864 --> 00:38:56,899
♪ ♪
633
00:38:56,901 --> 00:39:03,637
♪ ♪
634
00:39:03,639 --> 00:39:07,907
Narrator: Mount st. Helens had done its worst.
635
00:39:07,909 --> 00:39:13,349
The volcano had ejected 540 million tons of ash.
636
00:39:14,951 --> 00:39:16,782
Reporter: In parts of washington and montana,
637
00:39:16,784 --> 00:39:20,153
It lies on the ground seven inches deep.
638
00:39:20,155 --> 00:39:23,357
Narrator: The after-effects would last for months.
639
00:39:26,030 --> 00:39:27,395
Reporter: Law enforcement agencies
640
00:39:27,397 --> 00:39:29,365
Have one word of advice--
641
00:39:29,367 --> 00:39:32,765
Don't drive, don't leave home, don't leave animals outside,
642
00:39:32,767 --> 00:39:34,669
And above all, don't panic.
643
00:39:34,671 --> 00:39:35,669
(horn honks)
644
00:39:35,671 --> 00:39:36,769
(thud)
645
00:39:39,209 --> 00:39:44,244
Narrator: The ash spread across 12 states.
646
00:39:44,246 --> 00:39:46,682
Reporter: The plume of volcanic
ash has now been reported
647
00:39:46,684 --> 00:39:48,748
As far east as north dakota,
648
00:39:48,750 --> 00:39:50,352
And fallout
could reach new England
649
00:39:50,354 --> 00:39:53,519
In two or three days.
650
00:39:53,521 --> 00:39:58,327
Narrator: It circled the globe numerous times.
651
00:39:58,329 --> 00:40:04,398
Closer to home, the volcano had rearranged a whole landscape...
652
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:05,431
♪ ♪
653
00:40:05,433 --> 00:40:12,173
♪ ♪
654
00:40:12,175 --> 00:40:17,144
...And transformed spirit lake into a steaming cauldron.
655
00:40:19,216 --> 00:40:22,552
Swanson: Even a relatively small
volcano like mount st. Helens,
656
00:40:22,554 --> 00:40:24,219
Look what it did!
657
00:40:26,154 --> 00:40:29,923
Narrator: 200 homes gone,
658
00:40:29,925 --> 00:40:36,231
200 miles of highway and rail destroyed,
659
00:40:36,233 --> 00:40:39,468
Wildlife and livestock wiped out
660
00:40:39,470 --> 00:40:43,439
By the hundreds of thousands,
661
00:40:43,441 --> 00:40:48,210
And forests in a 230-square-mile area
662
00:40:48,212 --> 00:40:51,010
Snapped like twigs.
663
00:40:54,716 --> 00:41:00,489
The eruption killed 57 people, including logger jose dias,
664
00:41:00,491 --> 00:41:03,322
Who later died from his injuries.
665
00:41:07,028 --> 00:41:12,701
But out of this devastation, over 130 people were rescued.
666
00:41:13,770 --> 00:41:14,801
Hagerman: Hey!
667
00:41:14,803 --> 00:41:16,005
(laughs)
668
00:41:16,007 --> 00:41:18,205
Jim scymanky!
669
00:41:18,207 --> 00:41:19,472
How you doing?
670
00:41:19,474 --> 00:41:21,109
Scymanky:
I'm doing fine, thank you.
671
00:41:21,111 --> 00:41:22,576
Hagerman: Hey, good to see ya.
Scymanky: It's good to see you.
672
00:41:22,578 --> 00:41:24,780
Hagerman: It's always
a wonderful feeling,
673
00:41:24,782 --> 00:41:26,847
Probably the greatest
feeling you can have,
674
00:41:26,849 --> 00:41:31,217
To know that you probably
helped somebody live.
675
00:41:31,219 --> 00:41:32,221
You're looking good!
676
00:41:32,223 --> 00:41:33,221
Scymanky: Still here.
677
00:41:33,223 --> 00:41:34,288
Hagerman: Still upright.
678
00:41:34,290 --> 00:41:35,455
Scymanky:
I'm still upright, yeah.
679
00:41:35,457 --> 00:41:36,892
Hagerman: Me, too!
680
00:41:36,894 --> 00:41:38,592
Scymanky: I didn't know jess,
but, you know,
681
00:41:38,594 --> 00:41:41,096
Great human being,
I know that.
682
00:41:41,098 --> 00:41:44,400
Wasn't for him, I wouldn't
be here today talking, so.
683
00:41:47,236 --> 00:41:48,838
Crockett: If I had it to do
all over again,
684
00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:51,504
I would definitely go back.
685
00:41:53,511 --> 00:41:56,275
It was just
the most incredible experience
686
00:41:56,277 --> 00:41:58,046
I've ever lived through.
687
00:41:58,048 --> 00:41:59,679
Stoffel: We weren't sure
that we were going to make it
688
00:41:59,681 --> 00:42:02,050
Out of that situation at all.
689
00:42:02,052 --> 00:42:04,821
For months, I really
grappled with the issue
690
00:42:04,823 --> 00:42:06,754
That I was still alive,
691
00:42:06,756 --> 00:42:08,321
And I told myself
692
00:42:08,323 --> 00:42:12,792
That I wouldn't take life
for granted again.
693
00:42:12,794 --> 00:42:14,662
Brown: You realize
how small you are,
694
00:42:14,664 --> 00:42:17,166
In the universe, in the planet.
695
00:42:17,168 --> 00:42:21,271
I do my best just to enjoy life.
696
00:42:21,273 --> 00:42:24,937
Hickson: The effect
was life-changing.
697
00:42:24,939 --> 00:42:29,175
I've chosen volcanology
as a career path.
698
00:42:29,177 --> 00:42:33,212
Here was an event
that had almost killed me
699
00:42:33,214 --> 00:42:36,883
And really, it inspired me
to learn more
700
00:42:36,885 --> 00:42:41,724
About what had happened
at mount st. Helens.
701
00:42:41,726 --> 00:42:44,124
I'm thankful to be alive.
702
00:42:44,126 --> 00:42:46,895
♪ ♪
703
00:42:46,897 --> 00:42:51,199
♪ ♪
704
00:42:51,201 --> 00:42:54,903
Narrator: The 1980 eruption of mount st. Helens
705
00:42:54,905 --> 00:42:58,207
Ushered in a new era of volcanology.
706
00:43:01,609 --> 00:43:04,945
For the first time, hundreds of images revealed
707
00:43:04,947 --> 00:43:07,516
The full force of the cataclysms
708
00:43:07,518 --> 00:43:12,786
That snow-capped volcanoes can unleash.
709
00:43:12,788 --> 00:43:14,457
Swanson: I don't think
in any other eruption
710
00:43:14,459 --> 00:43:17,824
Has photography
been so important,
711
00:43:17,826 --> 00:43:20,028
Because we didn't
have to imagine.
712
00:43:20,030 --> 00:43:22,494
You can look at the photographs
and see them.
713
00:43:25,767 --> 00:43:28,636
Narrator: Since 1980, mount st. Helens
714
00:43:28,638 --> 00:43:31,307
Has grown a new magma dome.
715
00:43:34,575 --> 00:43:38,777
And in the same mountain range in the pacific northwest,
716
00:43:38,779 --> 00:43:43,519
There are about a dozen more active snow-capped giants.
717
00:43:43,521 --> 00:43:47,052
The tallest is mount rainier.
718
00:43:47,054 --> 00:43:48,856
Hickson:
Because it is very high,
719
00:43:48,858 --> 00:43:51,494
Has a lot of ice and snow on it,
720
00:43:51,496 --> 00:43:58,131
Mount rainier will be incredibly
dangerous when it erupts.
721
00:43:58,133 --> 00:43:59,869
Narrator: There's no certainty
722
00:43:59,871 --> 00:44:04,773
About when any of these volcanoes will next stir.
723
00:44:04,775 --> 00:44:06,873
But for the tens of thousands of people
724
00:44:06,875 --> 00:44:09,077
Living in the valleys below,
725
00:44:09,079 --> 00:44:13,114
The effects will be catastrophic.
726
00:44:13,116 --> 00:44:16,518
Swanson: We volcanologists need
to continually remind the public
727
00:44:16,520 --> 00:44:20,256
That these volcanoes will
erupt again in the future.
728
00:44:20,258 --> 00:44:22,523
Captioned by
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