BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – “Remember where you were when the mountain blew?”

Every year on May 18, people of a certain age remind each other of the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption on that day in 1980, sharing recollections.

Even if you weren’t around to experience that morning’s unusual stillness and oddly dark sky or feel the still-warm ash drifting to the ground, the local phenomenon captured international attention.

The mountain’s blast killed 57 people. That was tragedy enough. But the impact flowed on like the mountain’s lahar. The eruption was the most expensive in U.S. history (according to the Cascades Volcano Observatory), causing more than  $1 billion in damages. The ash damaged engines, clogged vent systems, and coated the ground like enduring snow. Meanwhile the volcano’s debris flow destroyed homes, roads and bridges in its westward path.

Mount St. Helens is just one in a chain of Cascade Range volcanoes, stretching north from California’s Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak to our own Mount Baker and into British Columbia. Geologists tells us that our volcanic range averages two-to-three eruptions per century. Close to home, Mount Baker was the last noticeably active volcano before St. Helens; that was in 1843.

In other words: we’re due – overdue, even – for major volcanic activity.

And while we cannot stop volcanic debris from surging down the Nooksack River, we can prepare for that eventuality.

READY: make a plan, including identifying routes of escape if you’re in the path of volcanic flow. Have an emergency kit ready and make sure family and friends know where to meet up if you become separated.  And: sign up to be notified if evacuation could be necessary!

SET: sign up for US Geological Service Volcano Notifications and monitor emergency broadcast channels, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Radio.

GO: if you’ve felt Mount Baker erupt or heard the Alert and Warning notice to evacuate, then do so immediately. Move to high ground (at least 50’ above the valley floor) and be ready for ash.

The next time there’s volcanic activity, we want to make sure we’re safe. Then later we can comfortably gather with others and share our “remember when?” stories.

Amy Cloud is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.  She was born and raised locally, leaving for Whitman College and work in Seattle, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. She returned to work as Supervising News Producer and reporter for KVOS-TV’s NewsView before switching to communications for WWU, PeaceHealth and the City of Bellingham. She also co-chairs the Community PIO Group and is a member of the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues.