We have been spared from great natural calamities

Time and space does not change. But modern communication changes our concepts of time and space. Television, for example brings the whole world right into our bedrooms. It gives us the impression that things that happen in far away places are taking place right in our living room. Television made it possible for the whole world to witness how a hurricane totally destroyed an old city like New Orleans. This was followed by the earthquake that totally devastated South Asia. Both cases remind us of how Manila was destroyed during liberation.

We don’t know what is happening in the world. There was great destruction during World War II. But we don’t recall any other time when we have had so many natural disasters. This is not to say that there were no great natural disasters in the past. The most damaging earthquake in US history happened on April 18, 1906. It lasted for only 47 seconds, but caused a fire that razed San Francisco. More than 500 people died and property damage was estimated at 300 million dollars. In the Orient, half a million people died when a tropical cyclone swept from the Bay of Bengal and struck East Pakistan.

The Philippines is very fortunate that we have had no earthquakes or destructive typhoons for quite some time. Most people residing in Metro Manila can’t even recall when Manila had its last earthquake or typhoon. Now the biggest threat we are all facing is the bird flu that may become pandemic if all nations do not take the necessary measures to prevent contamination in their communities. We are glad to note that the Philippines was cited as one of the nations taking the necessary preventive measures against bird flu.

In Central Luzon, Dr. Kelvin Rodolfo, a marine biologist, has warned that Typhoon Pepeng may trigger lahar flows in three provinces: Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales. The rivers draining from the volcano are still full of lahar. And according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, there are eight active lahar channels around Mt. Pinatubo. The pyroclastic deposits have been estimated to have accumulated up to 30 meters thick, and they flow down up to 20 kilometers all around the volcano. The government has built dikes to check the lahar flows. But Rodolfo has warned the people not to rely on them totally.

Since 1991, about 50 percent of this lahar has already been washed down by the rains. According to the Aetas who reside in the area, the last lahar waves were as high as 15 meters after the artificial breaching of the three kilometer wide Crater Lake in September 2001.

Lahar still poses a danger in Central Luzon. The people there should be on high alert against lahar when Typhoon Pepeng strikes. They should know where to evacuate.