Initiative of the European Union, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian AidOperations department (DG ECHO)

About the Project: When in January 2020 theTaal volcano erupted in thePhilippines, the PhilippineRed Cross immediatelyprovided emergencyresponse. Janina Jasper, EUAid Volunteer for theGerman Red Cross (GRC),also felt the effects inManila, some 70 km away,and supported theheadquarters'communication team inBerlin from there.

On Sunday afternoon I receive a message from Bianca, our local Red Crossvolunteer: “TAAL Volcano” followed by a picture with the caption: “Haserupted today”. I pause. I am familiar with the view of the volcano –however, without this gray cloud. Bianca reports: “Earlier I thought it wasgoing to rain because of the dark sky.” Yes, because that is quite commonhere in Manila. But a volcanic eruption? Bianca informs me that she is nowmonitoring the Batangas communities and disaster management officesfrom Manila; she had already worked with the communities beforehand. Itcould be possible that over 800 families will have to be evacuated. She asksme: “Do you remember where we took the boat? Those families, too.” Ofcourse! – I picture seeing a grassy green landscape that we walked aroundand admired together during a hike a few months ago. While scanning mysocial media accounts I see the picture of our hike to the Taal volcano inOctober 2019.

I recall the basketball game in the center of the village after returning fromour volcanic exploration. The children were playing in Lake Taal beforeheading back to the mainland by boat, watching the sunset over the lake...Who would have thought that these memories and pictures would becomeso valuable now? Already during our spontaneous trip, we bantered aboutthe possibility of an eruption and what could be the warning signs. We wereadvised to cover our nose, if necessary, due to high sulfur emissions in theregion. Although we could smell some sulfur, we did not mind. It was a funday. None of us had expected an eruption so soon! - What do I do now… Howcan I help… When will I be called into action?

Ash Fall in Manila

I walk to my appointment. With the bamboo boat I cross the river to the

neighboring district of Makati, where I meet a friend. On the way, I noticethat the air feels kind of strange. As if ashes of the volcanic eruption havearrived in Manila. I send a message to Bianca: “How far can the ash particlesfly?”

When I receive her message, I am already inside - luckily: “ It isrecommended to buy an N95 mask because of the ash fall. It has arrivedhere in Metro Manila. The city is affected. Please close all your doors andwindows of your apartment.” On the way home we notice the ash fall. Infront of the residence a thin, gray layer of ash is covering everything after ajourney of 70 km. Later that evening I read that Manila airport is closed. Allflights were cancelled.

Memories of a Green Volcanic Landscape

In October 2019 the national ‘Dialogue Platform’ on ‘Forecast-based-Financing’, an innovative approach of disaster risk reduction, took place inthe ‘Taal Vista Hotel’ in Tagaytay, funded by the German Federal ForeignOffice; in workshops, employees of the German and Philippine Red Cross aswell as numerous NGOs, international organizations and governmentagencies exchanged their experiences on the early financing of anticipateddisasters and offered interesting insights into current challenges. One of thetopics discussed was preventative measures in situations of Lahar, volcanicmudflow and debris flow. With a view of the volcano, a group led asimulation of applying house strengthening toolkits. The Germanambassador, who has been in the Philippines since August 2019, alsoparticipated.

Volcanic Eruption 2020, Back in the Here and Now

In my apartment I received an information notice - slide through the doorslot; addressed to all residents. The slip contains a list of preventativemeasures in the case of ash rain: “Stay indoors and remain calm. [...]. If youare outside, seek shelter immediately. [...]. Keep the following items in casedof ash fall: dust mask, enough drinking water for at least 5 days, enoughnon-perishable food for each family member for at least one week, plasticwrap, battery operated radio and extra batteries, lanterns or flashlights andextra batteries, First-aid kit,) cleaning materials, etc.”.

After the Vulcanic Eruption in the Red Cross Tower in Mandaluyong

On Monday morning I hear that our driver Edwin is visiting a project area in

the field. For our trip to work we order a taxi to protect ourselves from theash particles. When I arrive in the office, I am hit by a cloud of warm air.Here, too, we notice the consequences of the volcanic eruption. For safetyreasons, the air conditioning had been switched off. Other than that, ourwork continued as usual. Individual colleagues express their concern about apossible lava outbreak. The department of human resource of the PhilippineRed Cross distributes N95 masks to all employees for mouth and noseprotection. The German Red Cross welcomes its new delegate fromGermany. We learn that all authorities and schools in Metro Manila areclosed today. On my way back home, I see the convoy of the emergency aidteam in front of the Red Cross Tower, preparing for its departure to Taal forthe ongoing rescue and relief operations. The caravan consists of a watertanker, a fire truck, a command post and ‘Humvee’, the 6×6 High MobilityMultipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.

What is the Philippine Red Cross doing? What do I have to do?

The German Red Cross headquarters in Berlin contacts me, requesting astatus report on the work of the Philippine Red Cross as well an impressionof the Red Cross Tower in Manila, including pictures. I wonder, how andwhere can I quickly get access to all the relevant information? The nextmorning, bright and early I receive a text message from our head of GermanRed Cross office in Manila. She assures me of forwarding various emailupdates to me later. Having arrived at the office, I study the fact sheets andemails of other organizations such as UN OCHA (United Nations Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs). In addition, during the day I try to getmore information for my report in the Red Cross Tower.

During lunch break, I approach a colleague from the Philippine Red Cross.She introduces me to the Unit Head for Disaster Response and ChapterSupport on the sixth floor. The Unit Head tells me:

The Philippine Red Cross has activated its emergency Operations Center(OPCEN). Since the volcanic activity it has monitored the eruption and alertlevel, the weather forecast, the local situation as well as the dissemination ofinformation to all provincial offices. The executive team is made up of about20 employees, representing all services: Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH),Water, Health, Psychosocial Service, Voluntary Service, Logistics, Finance,etc. Due to the multiple disasters in the Philippines in recent weeks, theexecutive team is coordinating and monitoring four different emergencyresponses at the same time: the operations to both typhoon (Kammuri) andUrsula (Phanfone), the earthquake in Mindanao and the eruption of Taalvolcano; key issue is currently the eruption of Taal. The operation issupported by other units in order to replace emergency staff already on the

ground.

In addition, after our interview, the Unit Head forwards me information onthe specific activities already implemented by the Philippine Red Cross;activities listed include, the number of people being evacuated, the alertingof personal trained for water supply, the provision of contact persons for thepeople affected as well as the dissemination of N95 masks, water tankers,ambulances and hot meals. The Philippine Red Cross regularly posts updateson the emergency situation as well as recommended precautionarymeasures to its public on its Facebook Page: “Remain vigilant! Beware ofhazards brought by volcanic activity. Follow PRC’s social media accounts forupdates and advisories. #TaalEruption2020 #PHLRedCrossTaalOps“.

The Situation after the Volcanic Eruption

Two days later, Peder from the Danish Red Cross comes to our German RedCross office. He is the Regional Disaster Management Delegate for Asia.Yesterday he boarded the plane in order to document the effects of thevolcanic eruption and to estimate the extent of further damage. The verynext day he departs to Batangas to observe the volcano at close range.

One week after the volcanic eruption, I see volcanic ash in my apartment.Despite the precautionary measures taken, the ash seems to have crept intothe apartment somehow - whether through the window, the door slot or thesoles of my shoes. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismologyalso continuously reports on the situation of Taal: “Activity in the volcanohas been characterised by steady steam emission and infrequent weakexplosions that generated ash plumes 500 to 1000 meters tall and dispersedash southwest of the Main Crater [...]. Alert Level 4 remains in effect overTaal Volcano. This means that hazardous explosive eruption is possiblewithin hours to days.”

Deep Cracks in the Soil

On Monday morning, Peder returns from his field trip and reports: Theregional Red Cross office in Batangas is extremely busy. More than 80,000people have been evacuated. Is this everyone? Most likely only the once inthe official evacuation centers such as sports complexes or schools - withfour families in each classroom - have been registered. Other families mighthave found shelter in private houses instead. How can everyone beingaffected be supported and looked after? They are not able to return back totheir homes for now. Peder was only able to enter the 14-km evacuated areaunder strict control. He has been there and shows the pictures of deep

cracks in the ground caused by the volcanic eruption. How deep that is hardto estimate. The water level of the lake had also dropped by 1,5 meters. Thissuggests that the water must have made its way deeply into the ground; inthe long-term this is likely to build up pressure, turning the volcano into a‘pressure cooker’. His impression finally is: We should not wait for thevolcano to explode; the disaster is already happening at our doorsteps. Tensof thousands of people have lost their homes and have to build a new life.

In the Philippines, I observe each day that there is a solution for everything. Wewill, again, find a way together.

Sectors:

Disaster Risk ReductionResilience

Source URL: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/echo/eu-aid-volunteers_en/volcanic-eruption-philippines-ash-fall-manila_en