14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday morning, Alaska's Redoubt volcano erupted twice in the early hours, sending plumes of ash tens of thousands of feet up in the air. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) issued an ash warning for the region, saying that large amounts of razor-sharp ash had been released from the crater. Reaching some 65,000 feet (19,800 meters) in height, the impressive column is larger than the one that was formed on Sunday evening, when the volcano erupted for the first time. Between March 22nd to 26th, Redoubt blew up more than 10 times, but the strongest of them all were only recorded yesterday.
The National Weather Service (NWS) announced that wind patterns were expected to spread the ash clouds over the Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula, and that, in some areas, a couple of centimeters of the stuff could be deposited on the ground, covering vegetation and preventing wildlife from getting to their food and water. It also warned of the danger that ash posed to the human breathing apparatus, which would become clogged if the microscopic particles accumulated in the lungs.
Seniors, children, and people with pre-existing pulmonary conditions are most at risk, as their bodies are most susceptible to becoming severely affected by the ash clouds. “The volcano will have a big impact not only during the ash fall, but afterwards.” In another, 1992 eruption, “that layer of ash got deposited, and then for weeks and months afterward when we had wind storms, it would stir that stuff back up again, and we’d have some pretty nasty air quality conditions,” Anchorage’s Air Quality Program Manager Steve Morris said.
The expert added that air quality was the main problem at the moment, but that air traffic had also been affected by the powerful eruptions. Alaska Airlines has, thus far, canceled at least one flight, after AVO raised the warning levels in the Redoubt volcano area to red, at 9:24 am local time (1:24 pm ET). The Observatory cataloged the eruption as a “major event,” as it followed the first blast, which occurred some 90 minutes before. The first event sent only limited amounts of ash some 30,000 feet into the air.
Authorities warn that the volcano could continue to erupt for weeks, or even months on end. During the last period when it was active, in 1989-1990, Redoubt erupted for approximately 4 months, until the pressure inside the inner chamber was released.