Mount Pinatubo in my mind

The eruption of Mount Pinatubo on June 15, 1991 not only changed the landscape in the areas most affected by its explosion and the destruction it left behind. It also changed the lives of thousands of people who lived through the disaster.

It was like a scene from a movie. You're standing outside, going about your business, when suddenly the surroundings turn ashen gray. Sand-like particles start to swirl above you and when you brush it off, more settle on your hair and clothes.

You make the mistake to look up and see the sky obscured by a light brown cloud of dust. Then you see the roof of cars being covered with falling ash.

Everyone rushes inside for cover. The chatter starts. And news breaks out. Mount Pinatubo, 400 years dormant, has started to rumble and was spewing ash. What we had experienced first-hand was ashfall that would cover Metro Manila - more than a hundred kilometers away - and its environs for several days.

The eruption itself would last for about seven to eight hours, but the magma, pushed by high pressure gas ejected five cubic kilometers of volcanic material.

For a while, Central Luzon, including the National Capital Region, was almost covered in darkness. Roofs were heavy with ashfall, and it entailed tremendous effort to sweep off, or wash away the debris.

Many vehicles that were parked outside without cover would suffer scratches if not dents, from the ashfall, especially when small sharp particles came with the fine ash.

Driving was a challenge as ash continued to swirl around and hit the windshields. No one quite knew what to do, except seek cover and stay safe.

For weeks from June of 1991, the Mount Pinatubo eruption would be the big news. Not only because the explosion was so unexpectedly terrifying, but more so, destructive.

I can't remember how many times we visited the areas that suffered the most devastation. So aside from Zambales, where the volcano is situated, those places were the provinces of Central Luzon particularly Pampanga and Tarlac.

As if metric tons of ashfall destroying homes or burying them were not traumatic enough, the rainy season was upon us, too. So from ash fall, there was lahar as well that proved even more dangerous.

People fled their homes, with their meager possessions, if not just the clothes on their back. Those who lived in the periphery of the volcano would never have survived if they stayed behind.

I have witnessed rampaging muddy waters in Pampanga, and seeing people stuck inside their homes waving or crying out for help. They would either be on the second floor of their homes - if there was any - or worse, on the rooftops.

Rescue was nonstop, but the Philippines unfortunately, was not equipped for this kind of disaster. Thousands perished, either buried in ashfall or mudflows. Billions in property, both personal and agricultural, were damaged or lost altogether.

Villages disappeared after homes were all buried. People lost their loved ones, and their livelihood. Even animals were not spared, with many unable to seek higher ground to stay safe.

It was heartbreaking to see all this death and destruction. And twice more difficult to report on what we saw, heard, or witnessed first-hand. Often it was frustrating to write about what was not being done for the people, or how they couldn't save areas from being further damaged.

While we may not have lived in those areas that resembled no man's land, (all you could see was thick, brown lahar) the agony and desperation among those who did, but were struggling to survive, would always hit a sensitive nerve.

Watching children walking knee-deep in lahar, eating by their doorway because the rest of their house was still covered in ash or mud, or people trying to live as normal as possible given their situation, cannot not tug at your heartstrings.

Yes, there were relief goods being distributed. But how long would these last? And how long can families subsist on sardines, noodles, and rice until they could stand up on their feet again?

Vegetation was gone. Those with small backyard farms that put food on their table daily now had nothing to rely on as they stared at lahar gone hard.

I applauded the men who would band together helping each other repair their homes, salvaging what they could, to at least give them decent living quarters.

Every time we traveled to some town most affected by the Pinatubo eruption, the experience was different. The bus route we followed often crossed rivers of lahar, or what used to be rice paddies that have been flattened by volcanic ash or debris. Kudos to our drivers for their expert maneuvering even when it entailed tossing us around as we scaled slopes and even canals.

The visits by the president, though it seemed unnecessary or even meaningless, were the exact opposite. It gave people hope. There was joy in their faces as soon as they saw the president approaching the makeshift stage. It meant they had not been forgotten.

Eventually, the millions of tons of pyroclastic material that had changed the landscape in many areas, were put to good use. These were mixed with cement to make hollow blocks or reinforce structures that were being erected to protect the towns from future destruction.

And the very creative learned to turn these ashes to decorative stuff that were sold to tourists.

It wasn't the government that helped the people who lost much get back on their feet again. It was the people who pushed themselves to rise again and be stronger against adversity.

Those who were able to rebuild their homes either added another floor to replace the one buried under ash and mud, or demolished what was left and erected a new, albeit simpler one. A house was always a priority. It was more than just a shelter or a roof above their heads. This was the one place to keep safe.

Experiencing the first ashfall was something I will remember. But etched in my heart are the stories of hope, of fighting, of rising up that will always humble me. They survived more than the worst volcanic eruption of the century. They survived what was perhaps the biggest test of their faith.

Lead image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pinatubo