My Way News (Link) - AP - Dan Joling (January 30, 2009)
Hardware stores and auto parts shops scored a post-holiday run of business this week as Anchorage-area residents stocked up on protective eyewear and masks ahead of a possible eruption of Mount Redoubt.
Monitoring earthquakes underneath the 10,200-foot Redoubt Volcano about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, scientists from the Alaska Volcano Observatory warned that an eruption was imminent, sending experienced Alaskans shopping for protection against a dusty shower of volcanic ash that could descend on south-central Alaska.
"Every time this happens we do get a run on dust masks and goggles," said Phil Robinson, manager of an Alaska Industrial Hardware store in Anchorage. "That's the two main things for eye and respiratory protection."
Customer Ron Cowan picked up gear at the store Thursday before heading off to an auto parts store for a spare air filter. "I'm older now and I'm being a little more proactive than I was the last time," Cowan said. When another Alaska volcano, Mount Spurr, blew in 1992, he waited too long. "The shelves were cleared, so I thought I wouldn't wait until the last minute," Cowan said.
Unlike earthquakes, volcanoes often give off warning signs that usually give people time to prepare. The observatory, a joint program between the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Geophysical Institute and the state Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, was formed in response to the 1986 eruption of Mount Augustine.
Recent Comments