#200372 - 04/17/10 05:49 PM
Re: Europe Health Alert: Stay Indoors
[Re: chaosmagnet]
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Geezer
Registered: 01/21/04
Posts: 5163
Loc: W. WA
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"Is there anything you can do, such as frequent air-filter changes, to keep a car running when there's a lot of ash in the air?"
I was talking to a neighbor who was caught traveling downwind of St. Helens' big blast. They were out in the middle of nowhere. He said he would have to stop and pull out the air filter about every two miles to knock the ash out of it. He would pass people in stalled cars and yell out the window, "Clean out your air filter!" Some girls asked, "How?" and he stopped to show them.
People who've had no experience with volcano ash get a rude awakening when they have to deal with it. It isn't like wood ash.
Looked at under a microscope, you're looking at shards of broken glass. This is what causes the lung and eye problems.
It is very, very fine, and very light. It floats and flies and hangs in the air. You can't sweep it or shovel it, as it just becomes airborne again. It gets through every unsealed crack in every building.
It's really a health hazard to everyone, not just to people with breathing problems. Those glass shards stay in the lungs, like asbestos or silicosis -- you can't cough it out, it stays forever.
For all its lightness, it holds water like a sponge. I've read that if you have 4" of ash on your roof and get enough rain, it will collapse your roof. It changes from incredibly light to a substance like wet concrete.
Don't underestimate this stuff. If you've got it coming down, use breathing protection. And don't wear tight clothes, either. And keep your pets indoors, too.
Sue
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#200424 - 04/18/10 03:08 PM
Re: Europe Health Alert: Stay Indoors
[Re: Brangdon]
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Old Hand
Registered: 02/05/10
Posts: 776
Loc: Northern IL
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I was talking with a pilot acquaintance yesterday. He is scheduled to fly to Germany tomorrow. They had not canceled the flight yet, but he said that he expects it will be cancelled.
My understanding is that even after the volcano shuts down it may be several weeks before air travel can get back to normal.
_________________________
Warning - I am not an expert on anything having to do with this forum, but that won't stop me from saying what I think.  Bob
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#200503 - 04/19/10 03:04 PM
Re: Europe Health Alert: Stay Indoors
[Re: Brangdon]
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Old Hand
Registered: 02/05/10
Posts: 776
Loc: Northern IL
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I got a couple of emails from my brother. Saturday. I think mom may have overstated the case a bit, at least about the hotel. I did have to move to a hotel outside the city center, but I can still walk to downtown. In most places you can still find a hotel room if you look carefully as people coming in never made it. The trains are indeed sold out until Tuesday, at least between Denmark and Sweden, and I have heard similar stories about Eurostar between London and Paris. Rental cars and the ferries are also sold out. Otherwise life here has gone on pretty much as normal and people are taking a very positive attitude to everything. It has been sunny and bright in Copenhagen until today, but it was impossible to tell if the clouds were related to volcano. I don’t believe that we have had any ash fall here. The reports now are claiming that airspace is scheduled to open in Denmark by 2am Sunday morning (we’ll see).
My real problem is that I was supposed to be in Stockholm this weekend and then return to the states on Tuesday morning. If I can’t get to Stockholm by Tuesday morning, rebooking flights out of Scandinavia this week is going to be tough. My colleagues were supposed to leave Friday morning for the States and the earliest they could get rebooked was Thursday. This morning. According to SAS’s web site Chicago/New York flights to Stockholm left the US last night and are scheduled to arrive on time today in the next few hours. The Copenhagen flights also left, but have been diverted to Oslo. Most internal Scandinavian flights, however, are still canceled today (Monday) with the exception of northern Norway. I have been rebooked on the 1015am SAS flight from Stockholm to Chicago on Friday, but they wanted me to fly from Copenhagen Friday morning to connect. I did not think that was such a good idea and was able to buy a seat on a train from Copenhagen to Stockholm tomorrow (Tuesday). Apparently there are a few seats left on select trains, but the majority of trains are sold out until Thursday. I don’t expect any additional problems, unless something usual happens (which seems to be par for the course on this trip!).
As I may have mentioned to a few of you, most people are taking this in stride. Hotel staff has been extremely accommodating and the airlines are doing a decent job of keeping people informed (actually, given their history they doing a good job). Despite the overly protective nature of the European governmental response, it is difficult to find many travelers who have been critical of the delays. Although I am sure it will not be long before the industry begins to complain (perhaps another bail out is in the works as airlines cannot buy insurance against such events).
I am soooo glad this happened in Scandinavia and not Albania!
_________________________
Warning - I am not an expert on anything having to do with this forum, but that won't stop me from saying what I think. Bob
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