Tens of thousands in limbo
Residents warned not to return home as Philippines volcano continues to spew ash and lava Many people abandon livestock and pets as well as homes full of belongings after the warning Ash fall damages crops such as corn and coffee, and continues to threa
We left everything apart from what we’re wearing. We were terrified.
Robert Cadiz, fisherman
I am hoping this won’t go on too long because I will lose my job if I can’t report to work immediately.— Aseoche, house painter
tanauan (philippines) — Taal volcano in the Philippines could spew lava and ash for weeks, authorities warned on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands in limbo after they fled their homes fearing a massive eruption.
The crater of the volcano exploded to life with towering clouds of ash and jets of red-hot lava on Sunday, forcing those living around the mountain south of Manila to rush to safety.
Many people abandoned livestock and pets as well as homes full of belongings after authorities sounded an alert warning that an “explosive eruption” could come imminently.
“We left everything apart from what we’re wearing,” said Robert Cadiz, a fisherman among some 30,000 who took refuge in shelters. “We were terrified.”
Gerald Aseoche, 30, who left with his four young children and a few possessions, has missed work to stay with them as the volcano belches out lava and earthquakes tied to the eruption rattle the region.
“I am hoping this won’t go on too long because I will lose my job if I can’t report to work immediately,” Aseoche, a house painter, told AFP at an evacuation centre. “I can’t leave them... family first,” he said as he cradled one of his children.
Taal is one of the most active volcanoes in a nation hit periodically by eruptions and earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a zone of intense seismic activity.
The Taal eruption has been putting on a stunning and terrifying display, with lightning crackling through its ash cloud in a poorly understood phenomenon that has been attributed to static electricity.
Renato Solidum, head of the Philippines’ seismological agency, said Taal’s previous eruptions have lasted months so it was impossible to predict an end to the current activity.
However, he said the alert warning of a potentially catastrophic “explosive eruption” may remain in place for weeks, depending on developments.
“We have a protocol of waiting for several days, sometimes two weeks, to make sure that indeed... volcano activity has essentially stopped,” he said.
The volcano dramatically burst with activity on Sunday, shooting a massive column of ash 15 kilometres (nine miles) into the sky that then rained down on the region. —