The 26th Anniversary Of The Eruption Of Mt. Pinatubo

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"The lessons of those years and the values that we have learned must never be forgotten. They should be kept alive for future generations to learn from."

By: Era Nunag

Today marks the 26th anniversary of one of the most significant eruptions of the last century the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo in the Philippines. The eruption is a landmark event for a number of reasons. First, it was one of the great successes of modern volcano monitoring - the cost in terms of lives and property were greatly reduced thanks to excellent mitigation, monitoring and emergency management. Second, it was an eruption that showed how a single event on the planet can have a global impact, as the "Pinatubo Effect" caused a 4-5 year period of cooling around the globe.

Governor of Pampanga on June 13 urged Kapampangans to never forget the valuable lessons from the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo and how the destructive forces of the subsequent lahar flows have proven the indomitable courage and resiliency of the Kapampangan spirit.

Executive Order No. 09-2017 declares the suspension of Work in all government offices and classes in both public and private schools on June 15, 2017 duly signed by Gov. Lilia Nanay Pineda in commemoration of the 26th Anniversary of the Mount Pinatubo Eruption.

A Beautiful Disaster

(Bursts of gas-charged magma exploded into umbrella ash clouds, hot flows of gas and ash descended the volcano’s flanks and lahars swept down valleys. The collaborative work of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) saved more than 5,000 lives and $250 million in property by forecasting Pinatubo's 1991 climactic eruption in time to evacuate local residents and the U.S. Clark Air Force Base that happened to be situated only 9 miles from the volcano.

U.S. and Filipino scientists worked with U.S. military commanders and Filipino public officials to put evacuation plans in place and carry them out 48 hours before the catastrophic eruption. As in 1991 at Pinatubo, today the USGS is supported by The US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance to provide scientific assistance to countries around the world though VDAP, the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program. The program and its partners respond to volcanic unrest, build monitoring infrastructure, assess hazards and vulnerability, and improve understanding of eruptive processes and forecasting to prevent natural hazards, such as volcanic eruptions, from becoming human tragedies.)

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