Casey K. interviewed her mother, Cora, who lived on Luzon during the eruption.
By Casey K., Grade 6

On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo erupted on Luzon, an island in the Philippines. The volcano, which had not erupted for more than 600 years, left a deadly trail of lava and volcanic ash in its wake. Casey K. interviewed her mother, Cora, who lived on Luzon during the eruption.


Casey: What was it like to see a volcano erupt?
Cora: It was scary. At first, powerful earthquakes began shaking the ground. As the volcano was erupting, it was spitting thick ashes into the air. Then, volcanic ashes began falling on everything. Around noon, it was dark like midnight. We didn’t see the sun until 6 a.m. the next morning. I heard thunder and saw lightning on that long, dark “night.” Volcanic tremors shook my apartment constantly. There was no electricity. Fortunately, we still had running water.

Casey: Could you see any lava?
Cora: No. I lived near Subic Bay, which is about 20 miles away from the volcano.

Casey: Did you see any ruins the next day?
Cora: I saw devastation and collapsed buildings from the thick ash on the roofs. Many people were injured.

Casey: What was it like with so many ashes?
Cora: The ashes were knee-deep. It was hard to walk and it was hard to breathe. The ashes would stick to your hair and your skin … everything! I asked my sister to go to the post office, and she came home covered head to toe in ashes! Motor vehicles and bicycles couldn’t get through. It took months to clean up.

Casey: What were the ashes like?
Cora: The ashes were a very fine powder with a white-gray color.

Casey: Was it hard to buy food after the eruption?
Cora: Yes. Some stores were open, but the prices doubled. There were very long lines at the grocery stores!

Smoke and ashes fill the air after Mount Pinatubo’s eruption in 1991. Photo Credit: Corbis

Casey: Did you get any warnings that Mount Pinatubo was going to erupt?
Cora: Yes, we were warned, but most people didn’t really know what to expect.

Casey: Why didn’t you evacuate?
Cora: I believed I lived far enough away from the volcano that I wouldn’t be affected that much. As long as the lava couldn’t harm me, I would stay.

Casey: How scared were you?
Cora: I was very, very scared. When it turned dark at noon, I thought it was going to be the end of the world!

What Casey Learned
I have learned a lot from this interview. I learned that it could get very dark during a volcanic eruption and that ashes could be very heavy! I also learned that although you live a safe distance from an erupting volcano, you should still consider evacuating. In conclusion, Mother Nature can be either sweet and forgiving or wild and restless, but she can also be unpredictable.