From The Ashes: The Mt. Pinatubo Story
A day Kapampangans will never forget.
Mt. Pinatubo erupted in the afternoon of June 15, 1991. It was considered the second largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century. Pinatubo is classified as a stratovolcano and is located in the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga. Its last last known eruption was way back in 1380.
The ash cloud from the volcano covered a huge area in Central Luzon and turned the day almost as dark as night. The rain of ash and small pebbles made Pampanga look like an American village covered in snow on Christmas day.
Residents fled for their lives. The ravaging lahar flow caused widespread fear, panic and devastation. It spared no house, no property, no living soul in its deadly path and almost erased an entire town from the map.
The catastrophe left more than 800 people dead and thousands more homeless. Transportation was paralized as roads were buried deep in lahar and bridges collapsed. Basic utilities such as water, telephone and electricity also became unavailable.
It’s been 21 years since that nightmarish episode in the history of Pampanga. The province was severely hit but it was the fighting spirit, unity and resiliency of the Kapampangan people that made it literally rise from the ashes. The world had witnessed bayanihan at its finest when fellow Filipinos jumped in to help too.
Now, after 21 years, we remember. Now, we are back on our feet. Now, we give thanks and we give back and will continue to give back in any way we can.
Dakal a salamat king Apung Guinu!
(Source: yorence)
