The Mount Pinatubo eruption of 1991 was a devastating and impactful event for the
people of the Philippines and the world. Hundreds of people lost their lives, and millions had
their lives changed by displacement or loss of a loved one. Among those who were displaced
were The Aeta’s, an indigenous group in the Philippines who lived their lives dependent on
Mount Pinatubo for their everyday activities. An issue that the Aeta’s faced was leaving their
home in order to evacuate. Fortunately, The Aeta’s were very familiar with the signs of activity
and signs of the volcano, so they were aware that something was amiss. This, along with
government technology and assistance, allowed The Aeta’s to evacuate to safety before the
volcano had a chance to erupt. The issue, however, comes in when some of the Aeta’s decided to
stay with their homes and belongings in the blast-zone and perished as a result (Gaillard, J. 2006,
p-11). There’s not much that the government can do in a situation like this; if a group or
individual decides to stay during a natural disaster, the individual usually has the final say so..
It’s similar in Florida. Anytime there’s a hurricane and there’s an evacuation order, there’s
always a group of people who decide to camp out the storm. The government is not responsible
for the people who choose to stay. In this case, the government did a lot of what we depend on
them to do. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) and USGS
were vocal and clear about evacuations during the early signs of the volcano erupting (Bautista,
C. B., 1996, p-10). The evacuations, even among the indigenous people, were effective. Even
with how devastating this event was in the Philippines, technology is only going to improve, so
early warnings for events like this will only become faster and more efficient. Hopefully, a
catastrophe like this won’t happen again in our lifetime, but if it does, we’ll be more prepared.
Citations:
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Gaillard, J. 2006, p-11
Bautista, C. B., 1996, p-10
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