They were afraid as they entered the cloud.

There was a day when I was busy at work, and I heard the emergency broadcast network come on the local FM station I was listening to. I thought it was a test like every other time I had heard the announcement in my life.  However, this time the announcer said over and over, "This is NOT a test, this is an actual emergency!"   The announcer spoke clearly and repetitively the following words, "All local citizens are urged to return to their homes immediately and close all doors and windows.  There has been an eruption of Mount Redoubt volcano with an ash plume heading in the direction of the city.   I found this a bit hard to believe so I stepped outside to take a look at Mount Redoubt and the image above is what I saw; please believe me. I quickly drove home and followed the instructions. The dark cloud approached the city and all began getting darker. Soon something like snow began to fall. It looked just like snow but it was 75 degrees outside during that day. What was falling from the dark sky was volcanic ash and it began to cover everything like snow that didn't melt.   Those who were unwise went outside to find they couldn't breathe and efforts to start their car proved futile as the volcanic ash was drawn into engines as well as peoples lungs. Windshields were promptly rendered opaque as the sharp ash cut into glass swiftly. I remember this event all so well. It came and went rather fast as the week past by but I did find my daily time of running less than healthy as the gritty ash filled my mouth that still hung in the air days later.   The people on the Kenia remembered this day with a far more sobering reality.