Bernie's Time Machine: Mount Saint Helens Erupts

It was the deadliest and most costly volcanic event in the history of the United States.

“We’re still in this explosive mode, and there’s no indication that we’re going to get out of it right away.”

On May 8, 1980, Mount St. Helens — a volcano in Skamania County, Washington —had a major eruption. It was, and remains to this day, the deadliest and most costly volcanic event in the history of the United States.

57 people were killed, and the destruction extended to 200 homes, almost 50 bridges, and nearly 200 miles of highway. Volcanic ash from the eruption spread across the United States in three days. It encircled the Earth in 15 days.

Note from John Daly: I remember, as a child, finger-wiping ash from Mount St. Helens off my father’s 1968 Chevy Impala in Denver, Colorado.

I covered the aftermath for CBS News. Below are a couple of my reports (back-to-back) from nearby Portland, Oregon. They capture the societal tension caused by the volcano, and also the entrepreneurial spirit that rose from the ashes.