Redoubt

For months now experts have been warning Alaskans that Mt. Redoubt was on the verge of eruption. Responsible agencies sent lists of precautions to local schools, news stations, even corporations. People began to postpone travel plans, reschedule flights, and prepare for the worse. After weeks of inactivity, many began to wonder if all the warnings and precautions were overstated.
Skepticism continued until the eruptions began. Between Sunday and Monday night, the 10,200-foot Redoubt Volcano erupted six times, sending a volcanic ash cloud 9.5 miles into the sky, dusting nearby towns, sparking a swarm of earthquakes, and spurring massive mudflows.

Masks were donned, electronics covered, vehicles parked, businesses were closed, and Alaska Airlines canceled over 160 flights affecting 10,000 passengers.


Mount Redoubt rises 10,197 feet above the Kenai Peninsula, 106 miles southwest of Anchorage. Early in the week winds sent the debris north but by Saturday evening a dark cloud of glass-like volcanic ash began to settle on the streets of Anchorage. The view from my bedroom window this morning was reminiscent of pictures I'd seen taken from the surface of the moon.