Local news remembers Mount St. Helens eruption 45 years later

Yesterday was the 45th anniversary of the eruption of Mount St. Helens, and the news departments of television stations in the Pacific Northwest observed the occasion by compiling clips from their archives into special reports. I begin with KING 5 Seattle's Mount St. Helens Eruption: 45 Years Later.

A look back at the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980

KATU News in Portland produced its own special report, Past. Present. Future | Mount St. Helens 45th Anniversary.

May 18, 1980, is a day that forever impacted the Pacific Northwest.

After weeks of rumbling, Mount St. Helens unleashed a deadly and explosive eruption that would go down as the most destructive in U.S. history and changed the way we look at volcanoes in the Cascades.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of that monumental event.

Watch as we look back in time through the eyes of the people who lived through the eruption. Past. Present. Future. The 45th anniversary of Mount St. Helens.

I close with Mount St. Helens: Eyewitness to History, a KGW+ Special from KGW News in Portland.

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted with a force that reshaped the Northwest and stunned the world. In this KGW+ special, anchor Christine Pitawanich takes viewers through the days leading up to the eruption, featuring rare archival reports, first-hand accounts from journalists and radio volunteers, and powerful footage of the moment disaster struck. With voices from those who witnessed the destruction — and those who didn't survive — it's a moving look at one of the most significant natural disasters in U.S. history, and how it changed science, policy, and lives forever.

While I'm not teaching geology this summer, I am scheduled to teach three sections of it this fall, two sections next winter, and one section next summer, if it's not canceled for low enrollment. These local documentaries both updated me on the status of Mount St. Helens and will provide opportunities for extra credit to my future students. Welcome to blogging as professional development.

Since I'm in the middle of a series on the News & Doc Emmy Awards, I'm wondering if any of these will earn nominations for regional coverage at next year's ceremony. My readers and I will find out next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for World Bee Day tomorrow.