Removal and disposal of ash from highways, streets, buildings and airport runways were monumental tasks for some eastern Washington communities. Additionally, the ash removal cost was $0.2.2 million and took 10 weeks to clean up the ash in Yakima. Landfills and quarries were used to urgently extract ash mainly from routes used for transport and civil works. While it was difficult to find the precise cost of damage from the Mount St. Helens eruption, there were high estimates of the costs to restore the areas. The total loss related to timber, civil works and agriculture was estimated at between $2 and $3 billion. Congress provided $951 million in aid to agencies such as the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency for recovery