Following increased activity, officials advise residents to assemble emergency kits and have a plan if K’idazq’eni (Mount Spurr) erupts.
For many Alaskans who’ve weathered past volcanic events, the current rumblings from K’idazq’eni (Mount Spurr) are stirring up familiar memories – the eerie quiet before a potential ashfall, the scramble for supplies, and the way life can grind to a halt under a blanket of gray. While the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) keeps a close watch, those of us who remember not just Bentuggezh K’enulgheli (Redoubt) in ’89, but K’idazq’eni’s own dramatic eruption in ’92, know it’s time to dust off those preparedness plans.
Back in ’89, when Bentuggezh K’enulgheli blew, the ash turned Anchorage into a moonscape. Cars were coated, the air was thick, and even indoors, that gritty dust seemed to find its way in. But just a few years later, K’idazq’eni reminded us it could happen again, closer to home. The ’92 eruption, while perhaps not as prolonged as Redoubt, still dumped a significant amount of ash on the region, impacting air travel and daily life. Some folks still have the masks and goggles tucked away in a closet, relics from those dusty days…