The Philippines - No Stranger to Natural Disaster.
Mt Mayon Blows!
Just this week the infamous, yet always picturesque, Mt. Mayon in the Philippines decided to pop her top again, bleeding off some fiery pressure from below. Lava has been spewing from Mayon now for several days and today the mountain threw up a column of ash to a reported height of 10 kilometers. On a clear night, the sometimes gentle Mayon and her glowing lava flows can be a beautiful sight from afar, but for those who live close-by, it can be the cause of some extreme nervousness. The most recent published news on today's eruption is in a link at the end of this post.
From time to time, I might publicly joke about the reason I moved to a country that is exposed to so many natural disasters that include tropical storms and super typhoons, monsoon rains and flooding, mudslides and landslides, tsunamis, and earthquakes. It is also a country that is home to around 50 listed volcanoes, of which 23 of them are listed as active Wikipedia. When anyone asks me why I choose to live here, I respond with "To get away from all them damn tornadoes!"
All joking aside though, one should be prepared for anything when living here in the Philippines. Since we moved here from Mississippi in July of 2013, we have experienced several tropical storms and a few strong typhoons with really heavy rains, but we have only experienced two small earthquakes that were barely noticeable. I'm sure we have also experienced many more small tremors that we never felt. Earthquakes are part of life living on the "Ring of Fire" in any number of Pacific rim countries. Some of you might remember the large 2013 Bohol earthquake that occurred on October 15 at around 8am. Bohol is an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2 and resulted in killing at least 28 people. It did extensive damage to many structures, including the centuries-old Loboc Church in Loboc, Bohol pictured below.
Last February 2017, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the area in Surigao del Norte, Mindanao, and 10 lives were lost and many structures and homes were damaged or destroyed. Following the devastation caused by the Surigao quake, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) expressed concerns about possible movements on the West Valley Fault, which runs beneath the city.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum has urged residents of Metro Manila and nearby areas to be prepared for a devastating quake that could kill many thousands saying “Everyone must learn from the recent effects of the magnitude 6.7 earthquake in Surigao del Norte.” He also stated that if a similar event happened in a highly urbanized area like Manila, the effects could be catastrophic. Subsequently, earthquake experts have warned the people of Metro Manila to prepare for “the big one” amid fears that a massive 7.2 quake could be imminent.
Scientists at Phivolcs have long warned that the West Valley Fault is about due for some dramatic activity. According to Philvolcs, the fault tends to move approximately every 400 years and the last major quake along that fault was in 1658 - or 357 years ago.
Although it's impossible to predict an exact date of any volcanic eruption or fault/plate movement, people living on the Rim of Fire should always be prepared - from the Philippines to Japan to the West coast of the U.S. and South America. Here in the Philippines especially, where many buildings are old and were not built to more modern and critical earthquake standards, the devastation would be unimaginable. By many opinions, it is too late for Manila to act to reduce structural damages as many building owners could never afford to correct engineering deficiencies let alone survey them for upgrades. In the Philippines there is a saying that goes Bahala na and roughly translates into "whatever will be will be." Newer buildings should fare better as they are build under more rigid standards.
A 2004 study conducted with the assistance of Japanese seismologists demonstrated how a 7.2 quake could kill up to 34,000 people while causing calamitous damage to buildings and infrastructure. The 62-mile fault runs beneath the cities and towns of Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna.
Personally, I would never choose to live in a major city in the Philippines for the above reasons. If living in the less populated areas of the Philippines has taught me anything, it is to know that if there is ever a world-wide calamity of any significance, this is the part of the world where I would want to be. Filipinos can be some of the most resilient people I have ever met, and they would simply survive almost anything this Earth could throw at them. And they would remain happy, regardless of whatever Mother Nature conjures up... that will never change.