¹     In May 1980 the sky was black. The earth shook. Mount St. Helens blew up. The heat melted snow. Snow and ash mixed. It was mud. The mud ran down the hills very fast. Many trees fell. Everything was knocked over.
 
²     The mud ran into the Toutle River. The river got big. It broke things. Logs broke things. Homes floated on the river. Farm animals died. People died. The mud ruined many things.
 
³     People were careful. Some people left the mountain before it blew up. They were told it would blow up. Some people did not leave. They wore masks on their noses. It kept the ash out of their lungs. It was made of small glass pieces. It could cut the lungs.

Paragraphs 4 to 5:
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