[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 67 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNITION OF 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MT. ST. HELEN'S ERUPTION

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                            HON. BRIAN BAIRD

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 18, 2005

  Mr. BAIRD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 25th 
anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
  At 8:32 a.m. on May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. The eruption 
lasted 9 hours, killed 57 people, and devastated 234 square miles of 
land. The landscape and community of southeast Washington were forever 
altered.
  The eruption was triggered by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the 
Richter scale that shook the northern face of the mountain, causing a 
massive avalanche of rock debris. This landslide opened a crater that 
engulfed the mountain's summit and produced a massive lateral blast 
eruption. Mudflows carrying millions of cubic yards of debris washed 
down the river valleys and into the Columbia River. Tons of ash were 
strewn across eastern Washington and into the Earth's stratosphere.
  After 18 years of relative quiescence, Mount St. Helens' volcano 
recaptured the world's attention in September of 2004 when it showed 
signs of reawakening. On September 23 a swarm of small, shallow 
earthquakes began in and beneath the 1980-1986 lava dome. Activity has 
continued on and off since then, with the lava dome growing and letting 
off periodic steam eruptions.
  To protect the safety of communities located near Mount Saint Helens, 
I worked with Congressman Norm Dicks and Senator Patty Murray to secure 
an additional $1.5 million for the United States Geological Survey in 
the Emergency Supplemental to conduct the necessary monitoring of Mt. 
St. Helens. This funding will increase the safety of citizens living 
near the area and help protect commercial aircraft.
  Today, to commemorate Mt. St. Helens' 25 years of recovery and 
renewal, people are gathering at Weyerhaeuser's Forest Learning Center 
at Mount St. Helens to reflect on the 1980 devastation and celebrate 25 
years of nature's recovery, including the return of forests, plants, 
and wildlife. Additionally, Weyerhaeuser is pledging $1 million in wood 
products, funding, and volunteer labor to help build Habitat for 
Humanity homes at the 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project and in other 
communities across the United States and Canada.

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