Hosts Linda and Sequoya explore the catastrophic 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens through the contrasting stories of two men: 83-year-old lodge owner Harry R. Truman, who stubbornly refused evacuation despite repeated warnings, and 30-year-old volcanologist David A. Johnston, whose final radio transmission—"Vancouver! Vancouver! This is it!"—immortalized his ultimate sacrifice for public safety. Through vivid storytelling, the podcast chronicles the dramatic sequence of events from the first warning signs to the fateful morning of May 18, 1980, when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered history's largest recorded landslide and an unexpected lateral blast. Truman, paradoxically both dismissive of the danger and accepting of his fate, chose to remain with the mountain that had shaped his identity. Johnston, though positioned at what was considered a safe observation distance, tragically found himself directly in the eruption's path. Beyond these personal stories, the episode captures remarkable survivor accounts, details the eruption's devastating economic consequences, and explores how this disaster fundamentally changed our scientific understanding of volcanic hazards and revolutionized monitoring approaches worldwide. ⏱️ Timestamps
INTRODUCTION:
00:00 – Welcome
01:50 – Why we made this episode
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
02:50 – “Mount Fuji of the Pacific Northwest”
04:00 – Mount St. Helens Wakes Up
THE TWO MEN
06:40 – Meet Harry R. Truman
08:30 –Truman Refuses to Evacuate
11:20 – Meet David A. Johnston
12:15 – Johnston’s Bravery
13:00 – Red Zone Established
MAY 18, 1980 ERUPTION SEQUENCE
13:45 – Earthquake, Landslide, Lateral Blast
15:35 – Johnston’s Last Radio Transmission
16:00 – Truman’s Fate
16:35 – Gerry Martin’s Radio Transmission
17:20 – Photos of Landslide and Lateral Blast
19:00 – Plinian Eruption
19:50 – Lahars
AFTERMATH & IMPACT
21:05 – Economic Impact
21:30 – Advances in Scientific Understanding
22:10 – Public Safety Lessons
CLOSING
23:20 – Closing Thoughts
24:25 – What’s Next
📚 Learn More
▶️ Mount St. Helens – Full Playlist on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO683wv5Jx1EmLc_-N7vTUyw8mtNJNgJP
▶️ Gary Rosenquist Sequence – AI Animated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNlP9TGZOMI ▶️ Remembering David Johnston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg2rufseJ_w
