Alaska
How to prepare for a likely volcano eruption in Southcentral Alaska – Anchorage Daily News
In the days since scientists warned that Mount Spurr, Anchorage’s closest volcano, is likely to erupt within “the next few weeks to months,” Southcentral Alaska residents have snapped into preparation mode.
Here’s what residents should know to protect their children, pets, homes and vehicles from about one-eighth of an inch to a quarter-inch of ash that scientists say is likely to coat Southcentral Alaska in the near future.
The basics
Mount Spurr sits 78 miles northwest of Anchorage at the southernmost end of the Tordrillo Mountains, and is visible from the city on clear days. Its Crater Peak, the southern vent of Spurr volcano, has erupted four times in the last 100 years: in 1953, and three times in 1992. In two of those eruptions, about a quarter-inch of ashfall rained down across Southcentral communities for several hours, temporarily shutting down airports, offices and schools, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. The cost of cleanup in 1992 was about $2 million.
The most widespread hazard for Alaskans if Mount Spurr erupts will be from volcanic ashfall, according to an FAQ published by the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
The ash — which is made up of pulverized jagged rock, mineral and glass — can impair visibility, labor breathing and damage lungs, and fail engines in cars and planes, the FAQ says.
Official ashfall warnings will be issued by the National Weather Service’s Anchorage Forecast Office, and will include where ash is expected to fall, when and how much.
According to an ASH ALERT! advisory published by the state on March 10, residents are advised to prepare disaster supply kits with standard items including two weeks’ worth of nonperishable food, water, flashlights and external cellphone chargers.
Additional, volcano eruption-specific supplies include N95 masks for adults and children, spare air and oil filters, washer fluids for vehicles, and plastic sheeting to protect outdoor equipment.
[Previously: A Mount Spurr eruption is ‘likely’ within weeks or months, scientists say]
Transportation
Ashfall poses the most lethal threat to aviation, experts say.
Airborne ash can damage visibility, impair flight control systems, and cause jet engine failure, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
During the 1992 Spurr eruption, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport shut down for 20 hours, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory.
In the event of an ashfall that’s carried by winds southeast, toward Anchorage and its surrounding area, the National Weather Service’s Anchorage office would issue an ash warning. Planes in the area would likely be grounded as a result.
Ash can also make roads slippery, reduce visibility and damage vehicles.
During an ashfall, the state recommends Alaskans stay off the road. Afterward, vehicle owners are advised to wash their vehicle thoroughly with water, and change their oil, oil filter and air filters.
Do not attempt to dry brush ash off a vehicle or it will scratch, mechanics and car parts salesmen said. The same goes for windshields: use wiper fluid anytime you use your wipers to avoid scratching your windshield.
John Hennessy, a salesperson at O’Reilly Auto Parts on Northern Lights, said there’s been a surge of customers coming in for certain vehicle products.
Air filters, cabin filters, car covers, engine covers, washer fluids “and for some weird reason, antifreeze” have been flying off the shelves in the past week, Hennessy said. “Some of them are getting ready for doomsday,” he said.
Pets
Pets and livestock, too, should be kept inside or sheltered from ashfall as much as possible, vets and state officials warn. Particularly sensitive areas are their eyes, nose and lungs, according to the state’s FAQ.
Livestock, if not covered, should be moved to an area free from vegetation and ash accumulation, according to the state. Animals should not consume food that’s been contaminated by ash.
The Alaska Veterinary Clinic recommends pet owners “immediately wash ash off pet’s fur or skin with clean water if they’re exposed and flush eyes with eye water solution,” according to a fact sheet the clinic prepared. The clinic also recommends pet jackets, or protective clothing, goggles, booties and canine-specific filtered masks to further protect animals.
AK Bark, a pet supply store in Anchorage, is selling all the bells and whistles for pet preparedness, owner Mark Robokoff said this week.
He said his store has sold roughly 800 canine masks, 100 pairs of goggles, and tons of dog booties since the Alaska Volcano Observatory’s announcement. They also carry power-washers to clean paws, ear muffs, full-body raincoats and pee pads, he said.
The key, Robokoff said, is to get dogs comfortable wearing the gear beforehand, so they’re not stressed when and if the time comes.
Homes
Chugach Electric Association isn’t anticipating a power outage in the event of an eruption, but said residents should be prepared nonetheless.
“Just because the volcano erupts doesn’t mean there will be a power outage, like it’s not an imminent reaction,” company spokesperson Julie Hasquet said. “It would depend on the amount of ash, and how long it lasted.”
In 2009, the next closest volcano to Anchorage in the chain — Redoubt — erupted, coating Homer, Anchor Point and Seldovia with an eighth of an inch of ash, according to the Alaska Volcano Observatory. But it didn’t cause a power outage for Chugach Electric’s 91,000 customers from Anchorage to the northern Kenai Peninsula.
Ash can also clog heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The U.S. Geological Survey recommends residents add “temporary filtration” to external air intakes, and to monitor and vacuum excess ash from the air intakes regularly.
Joe Atafua, store manager for the O’Reilly Auto Parts location on DeBarr Road, said a lot of customers have been coming in asking for pantyhose to use as temporary filters on engines and HVAC systems. As a result, he’s looking into sourcing a bulk order, he said.
Schools
Local school districts have communicated tentative action plans to families this week in the event of an eruption.
The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District and Anchorage School District each said they will base their actions on several variables.
“Depending on the time of day, size of the eruption, and anticipated weather pattern related to any ash fall, potential responses may include school cancellations, early dismissal, or shelter-in-place protocols,” Mat-Su Borough School District spokesperson John Notestine wrote in a memo to families on March 16.
The Anchorage School District wrote that schools will close if they’re not in session and ashfall is forecast, and release kids early if they are in session and ashfall is imminent, according to a March 21 notice.
Every ASD school also has a volcano response plan with shelter-in-place procedures and air quality measures, the notice reads.
Next steps
Mount Spurr hasn’t shown any dramatic changes in the past week, according to Matt Haney, scientist-in-charge at the volcano observatory, jointly run by the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute and the state Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys.
His team was conducting another flight over the volcano on March 21 to measure gas levels, which contribute to eruption likelihood, he said.
Scientists are also actively monitoring seismic data from Spurr that’s remotely captured and transmitted to the group’s Anchorage office in real time.
“We’re looking for a particular signal called volcanic tremor, that one often sees before volcanoes kind of make the final push towards going to an eruption,” Haney said on March 20. “We have not seen that yet.”
Based on past volcanic eruption behavior, there should be ample time to send out warnings before an eruption, Haney said. Volcanic tremors started three weeks before the June 1992 Spurr eruption, and two months before Redoubt erupted in 2009.
“It just doesn’t happen without any warning,” he said.
🚨In the event that Mount Spurr does erupt, Anchorage Animal care & Control will remain open to the public. 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(Bill Roth / ADN) ","copyright":"©Anchorage Daily News","created_date":"2025-03-19T02:13:06Z","credits":{"affiliation":[{"name":"Bill Roth","type":"author"}],"by":[{"byline":"Bill Roth / ADN","name":"Bill Roth / ADN","type":"author"}]},"height":4024,"image_type":"photograph","last_updated_date":"2025-03-19T02:13:06Z","licensable":false,"owner":{"id":"adn"},"source":{"additional_properties":{"editor":"photo center"},"edit_url":"","system":"photo center"},"status":"","subtitle":"Alaska Volcano Observatory","taxonomy":{},"type":"image","url":"https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/TUIXNVZC4ND33COEQG24AVZG6Y.JPG","version":"0.10.9","width":6036,"syndication":{"external_distribution":"","search":""}},{"_id":"PUMTJCL425BCNEXPCFYRIBTHOA","additional_properties":{"_id":1742597386124},"content":"“We’re looking for a particular signal called volcanic tremor, that one often sees before volcanoes kind of make the final push towards going to an eruption,” Haney said on March 20. “We have not seen that yet.”","type":"text"},{"_id":"DM7DAJ3X2FFJ5FGWXINDADVNEY","additional_properties":{"_id":1742597386125},"content":"Based on past volcanic eruption behavior, there should be ample time to send out warnings before an eruption, Haney said. 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This is the beginning of the Iditarod spring, signaled by the burst of sun and what used to be the long wait for dog teams to pass under the arch in Nome, the finish line a thousand miles away from Anchorage. For old-timers, it’s the story of the way Alaska used to be. What once was a 30-day wait has become about 10 days for winners to celebrate and the rest of us to shout, “Well done.”
My story is about family that welcomed immigrants from all over the world to be among the last groups of Indigenous people in the country, a life of taking good care of dog teams, and of parents who taught their children how to live in a wild, rugged frontier.
I came to be in a different age, a time of dog teams that ruled the trails to mining camps and where the salmon ran strongest — before the introduction of the snowmachine that revolutionized rural and Native Alaska.
For the Blatchford family, it is a recognition that some things will always stay the same and everything else changes. All four of my grandparents were noncitizens. My mother Lena’s parents of Elim were Alaska Natives, as was my dad Ernie’s mother, Mae, of Shishmaref. The name Blatchford comes from his father, the Englishman who was born in Cornwall and arrived in Nome during the gold rush. His brother, William, was one of the early immigrants, and by 1899 there was a creek just outside Nome named after him. He discovered gold. My grandfather, Percy, found gold, too, but it was a different kind of wealth, a finding that he had found home and never left.
I was born in Nome, delivered by an Iñupiaq Eskimo midwife in a one-room cabin where the frozen Bering Sea met the treeless tundra’s permafrost. Dad had a dog team. I like to think that the dogs were anxious for me to be born because it was hunting time for Dad to hitch them up and mush out to where the sea mammals, snowshoe hares, ptarmigan and other game thrived in the winter. My earliest memories are of dogs; all of them working as a team to bring home the game so we could have a fine meal cooked by Lena. In the Arctic, dogs were essential for family survival. If you didn’t hunt, you didn’t eat.
There are several memories that remain strong. I suppose I can call them lessons of the Arctic.
The first is to take care of the dogs and treat them well. Dog lovers all over the world know very well that a dog, whatever the breed, is loyal and will die to protect the one who feeds and pets it. If you don’t feed a husky, it won’t pull, and it could mean a long time before the family eats. When a dog team is hungry, it will race back home to be fed a healthy meal. Mother Lena must have been a great cook because Dad said the dog team always raced back to the edge of Nome, where Lena was waiting beside the propane stove. For Mike, Tom and me, our job was to take the rifle, shotgun and .22 into the cabin to be cleaned and oiled. Once that was quickly done, we unhitched the dogs and then fed the team.
All three of us boys had special responsibilities to Tim, Buttons and Girlie. Tim, the lead dog, was brother Mike’s pet; Tom had Buttons, and I had Girlie. We made sure they were healthy and well cared for. Dad would often comment that “Papa,” our grandfather Percy, the Englishman, took good care of his dog teams, being kind to the dogs and feeding them. Dad was the oldest of a large family that lived in Teller and later Nome.
“Papa” Percy was a prospector, fox farmer and a contestant in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, the dog team race from Nome to the mining camp of Candle, a 400-mile race. He didn’t win, but he finished well, very well. The stories of the Sweepstakes have remained with the family for over a century. At a memorial service in Palmer for “Doc” Blatchford, Aunt Marge, without a question or a prompt, said that Papa took good care of his dogs.
Percy Blatchford was a legend in the Alaska Territory. As a teacher of Alaska newspapers, I would find headlines similar to one in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that blazed on the front page: “Blatchford Wins Solomon Derby.” There was even a story in The New York Times.
There’s probably no other sport in Alaska that brought Alaskans together like dog mushing. When old-timers would visit over strong coffee, dogs and dog team racing would come up. In the territory, there were few high schools and fewer gymnasiums, so the only team sport was dog mushing. It was something to talk about that was unique to Alaskans.
I used to travel in rural Alaska quite a bit. In the smaller communities, I would see the teams and would wonder how long they would power the engines that brought the mail and the foodstuffs down and up the trails. When I think of dog teaming, I think of the Iditarod and wonder, and then come to know, what the strength of the story would mean for bringing generations together from Papa Blatchford to his eldest son Ernie and to the fourth generation of Blatchfords in Alaska.
There are times when I think that old-time Alaska is gone. But then my faith and confidence in the old-time spirit are ignited when I see what others in the Lower 48 see. When I was walking in downtown Philadelphia, I looked up and saw on an ancient federal building a stamped concrete sculpture of a dog musher leaning into a blizzard. Such is the way I think of the Iditarod and the lessons I learned growing up with the dog team, preserved in my memories.
Edgar Blatchford is former mayor of Seward, Mile 0 of the Iditarod Trail.
• • •
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New Alaska voyages debut in 2026 as lines like MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages expand into the booming market.
How to find the best price, perks when booking a cruise
Find the cruise that works for your budget with these tips.
Problem Solved
Travelers will have new ways to see Alaska this year.
A number of cruise lines are launching sailings to the Last Frontier in 2026, from luxury to large family-friendly and adults-only ships. About 65% of people visiting the state during the summer do so by cruise ship, according to Cruise Lines International Association Alaska, and demand is high.
“I think Alaska is always very popular, but we’re seeing that ships are selling out way quicker than they used to,” Joanna Kuther, a travel agent and owner of Port Side Travel Consultants, told USA TODAY.
With new inventory opening up this season, here’s what travelers should know about Alaska cruises.
Which cruise lines are adding Alaska sailings?
- MSC Cruises will launch its first-ever Alaska sailings aboard MSC Poesia on May 11. The ship will be fresh from dry dock to add enhancements, including the line’s luxe ship-within-a-ship concept, the MSC Yacht Club.
- Virgin Voyages’ newest ship, Brilliant Lady, will operate the company’s inaugural Alaska cruises. The adults-only cruise line will set sail there starting on May 21.
- The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will debut its first Alaska cruises this year on its Luminara vessel. The first of those sailings will depart on May 28.
Those join other operators like Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, American Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and more.
What are the draws of Alaska cruises?
Glaciers are a major attraction for visitors. “One of the major (draws) is Glacier Bay,” said Kuther. “…And then the other one is definitely the wildlife.”
That includes bears, whales, moose and salmon. In addition to its many natural wonders, the state is also a cultural destination where visitors can learn about its Native peoples.
When is the best time to take an Alaska cruise?
That depends what you’re looking for. The Alaska cruise season generally runs from April through October, and Kuther said visitors will tend to see more wildlife between the end of June through August.
“That’s super peak season,” she said. “That’s also where you’re going to have more families, more crowds.” Some locals have also said those crowds are putting a strain on the very environment tourists are there to see.
Travelers may find less packed ships and ports by visiting earlier or later in the season – and there are other perks. If passengers go in May “it’s still a little bit snowy, so your scenery is going to be really cool,” Kuther said. Travelers visiting in September or October, meanwhile, could have a better shot at seeing the northern lights.
Where do ships usually sail?
The most popular itinerary is the Inside Passage, according to Kuther. That often sails round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver with stops such as Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. “People will go back to Alaska and do different routes,” she said. “This is a very good way to start.”
Other options include one-way cruises between Vancouver or Seattle and Anchorage. Travelers can also take cruisetours that combine sailings with land-based exploration, including train rides and tours of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Tips for Alaska cruises
- Book early: Alaska itineraries sell out quickly, and so do shore excursions. Unique offerings like helicopter tours and dog sledding are popular, and there are only so many spots.
- Consider a balcony cabin: This is “almost a must” in Kuther’s opinion. Crew members may make announcements about whales or other sightings near the ship, and guests with their own private viewing spot won’t have to race out on deck.
- Pack carefully: “Packing is an art when it comes to Alaska,” Kuther said. “It really is, because you need so many things.” Her top three picks are bug spray, layers of clothing for the fluctuating temperatures and a waterproof jacket in case of rain.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
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