Love vs. Lava: The Story of Harry R. Truman 英会話・英語　アミック

Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington, erupted  38 years ago on May 18, 1980. The eruption was so strong that it deposited ash in 11 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces. Sadly, 57 people lost their lives in the resulting landslides and lava flows.

Among the 57 people who perished was a man named Harry R. Truman.  During the 1930s, Harry opened a hotel at the foot of Mount St. Helens and ran it with his wife for over fifty years. Despite being made well-aware of the pending eruption, Harry was unwilling to evacuate to safety in the months preceding the volcanic explosion. He thought that geologists were being overly cautious and no actual harm would come to him if he stayed in his home at the base of the volcano. He loved Mount St. Helens and his home so much that he chose to stay despite the earthquakes that violently shook his home in the months preceding the eruption.

 Harry truly believed that the lava would avoid him and he could continue to live in the area with ease. Unfortunately, despite one more attempt to get Harry to leave his home, the volcano erupted, covering his home with layers of debris and ash. Harry became a local folk hero for his unwillingness to leave while the rest of the area was being evacuated. He is remembered today as a stubborn man with an undying love of the wilderness of  Mount St. Helens.