1991 Mount
Pinatubo Eruption: The
Sleeping Giant Awakened
By:
Claudette
Fetterman
On
June 12, 1991, my young mind had
never been so excited waking up that morning thinking that it
miraculously
snowed in Manila, Philippines. As I looked out of my bedroom window, I saw
nothing but darkness in the sky and everything covered white. Then I
astonishingly
felt extreme heat coming out of our vents, plumes of ashes sneaking in
to my
window, and hearing deafening screams and coughing.
I nervously ran outside and to my surprise, thick
and hot ash fall occurred.
After
more than 500 years of
slumber, Mt. Pinatubo
erupted so violently that day. Tremors
were felt, thunder roared, heavy rain poured, and mudflows or lahar
vigorously
flowed in many areas of the country. Three
days later, Mt. Pinatubo
exploded the second-largest volcanic eruption on Earth in the century. Ash and pyroclastic debris were ejected and
remained suspended in the atmosphere where the winds dispersed them to
envelope
the world, reaching as far as Russia
and North America. In its wake, hundreds of
people were
killed and injured, millions were displaced, properties and
infrastructures were
ruined, businesses were closed, and schools were suspended. Witnessing one of the most catastrophic
disasters
in the Philippine history felt so unreal. The
sleeping giant awakened—many unprepared, many
devastated.
Occasionally,
much weaker but still
spectacular eruptions of ash occurred thereafter. From
July to October 1992, a lava dome was
built in the new caldera as fresh magma rose from deep beneath Mt.
Pinatubo.
Mudflows continued to plague the surrounding communities
with each subsequent rain. The severity
of lahars was the single cause of death and injury to many Filipinos. As I confoundly observed this unusual
occurrence, I remember my eight year old sister constantly complaining
about a
monster in the ceiling, creaking and making noises at night when she
goes to
sleep. Until in 1994, our roof collapsed
from heavy cemented ash. From this,
lessons were significantly learned.
eves in my
neighborhood.