Frustrating to Some, Exciting to Others, Alaska Copes With a Volcano : Environment: Ash from the recent eruptions has created cleanup problems and health concerns. Children’s fears are also being addressed.

Linda Midgley collected gallons of grit with a borrowed vacuum cleaner last week as she tried to rid the apartments she manages of residue from Mt. Spurr’s eruption in August.

Hours after her cleanup, the volcano erupted again.

Midgley said the fine dust bothers her asthma and it makes her place “look filthy.”

“We’ve cleaned three times since August,” she said. “I had no idea it was getting ready to blow again.”

Join the crowd. Scientists at the Alaska Volcano Observatory said that after three eruptions this summer they are just beginning to find Spurr’s fingerprints--earthquakes and magma buildups that may signal fresh blasts.

“It’s not like tornado alley or hurricane season where you can forecast the chances of an eruption,” said Michael Doukas, an observatory geologist. “Science right now does not have the data to allow us to predict the next eruption.”

The volcano erupted late Sept. 16 and again early Sept. 17, when it dusted Anchorage, the state’s largest city, with more ash. The observatory announced days before that Spurr seemed to be getting ready, based on seismic data.

But just hours before, scientists were confident enough to walk the hot, muddy crater 450 feet inside Spurr. They got out safely.

Anchorage received only enough ash to turn eyes red and make noses run until rain improved air quality. The fallout was far less than the nearly one-quarter inch of ash deposited on Aug. 18.

Ash was heavier about 50 miles north of Anchorage, where schools and government offices closed for the day. Airlines flying to and from Anchorage took most of Sept. 17 off because ash can stall engines.

It’s not easy living with the dust, said Dr. Charles R. Marmar, director of the post-traumatic stress disorder program at San Francisco’s Veterans Administration medical center.

“The healthiest response one can have is being aware of the risk of another eruption, don’t deny it, and make adequate preparations,” he said. “Then carry on without untoward anxiety.”

Children who were anxious in August when Spurr’s ash turned the daytime sky dark and kept parents home from work seemed more seasoned this time around, said Barbara Jones, an education coordinator at the Imaginarium science museum.

“Now they think it’s almost fun, kind of an event,” Jones said.

The Anchorage museum, which is visited by about 1,000 children a week, is offering a volcano class, new since Spurr erupted in June.

Youngsters learn about deadly sulfuric acid released by volcanoes like Mt. Vesuvius. They look at Spurr’s ash under a microscope to see how jagged edges can irritate lungs.

“But we also say how geologists are monitoring our volcanoes and can give us some warnings,” Jones said. “I could see if we weren’t careful that we could scare a lot of children.”

Betty and Ed Morrow of Everett, Wash., both 58, visited Alaska for the first time last week. Betty Morrow said the Mt. St. Helens eruption 12 years ago was so thrilling that she and her son chartered a small plane to tour the peak a month later.

“I thought (Spurr) made Alaska more exciting,” Ed Morrow said.

Still, merchants are worried that tourists are worried.

Authorities said Spurr’s August blast produced an exodus of visitors who steered their motor homes north instead for events linked to the 50th anniversary of the Alaska Highway.

“The volcano is just terrible for us,” said Karen Cowart, executive director of an Anchorage-based trade association for tourism. “We’re trying to create an image of Alaska that’s fresh and clean and rejuvenating and healthy.”

A majority of visitors are 55 or older and respiratory problems aren’t uncommon, Cowart said.

“If there’s concern for their health or welfare, they can’t come,” she said.

The city’s medical officer advocates the long view.

“Considering all the hazards in the world--the wars and famine and hurricanes--we should be celebrating that it’s just a volcano,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Gordian.

“The Earth has made a statement and we haven’t been hurt by it.”