Learned my lesson from my father, he restored classic automobiles. May 18, 1980 Mt. St. Helens erupted here in Washington state (I was 8) and blanketed the Kittitas Valley with 6 inches of ash fallout. I remember the zealots in our community running around yelling about the apocalypse while the ash grey cloud obstructed the sun. It was impossible to drive (the ash would choke air filters and obstruct the carburator), so my father could not get to his shop to check on his cars for a few days.

The wind here rarely stops so the ash was blown everywhere, and into everything. Needless to say the ash covered vehicles inside and outside the shop. Ash, by the way, is extremely abrasive. When he finally got down to the shop, most have his classic automobiles paint jobs were ruined, along with ash in every part of the cars, the engines, interiors, under the spare in the trunk. It was an absolute mess.

Took him the better part of ten years just to get the shop and his collection back into shape. Overall, still a horrible loss. Now, we are both extremely careful with the handling of our respective collections. Safe deposit boxes and garages with massive air curtains, and car covers on every evening.

My thoughts and prayers to those in the Oklahoma area. Be safe.