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The Bicol Bulletin |
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August 2006 |
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What is the difference
between vacation and evacuation? If you were as astute as my five year old
son, your answer would be, “Only two letters, dad!” I have had the
opportunity to go on many vacations in my life—some were memorable because
of the wonderful time that we had and some were memorable because we did
not! But for the first time in my life, I find myself not vacationing, but
evacuating. |
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On July 15, 2006, Mount Mayon
became “restive” in the words of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology. The volcano, the most active in the country, began a
slow eruption that consisted primarily of lava flow that provided local
residents of the province of Albay a beautiful “fireworks” display nightly.
As days became weeks, the nightly show began to intensify. Tourists from
all over the world arrived toting cameras and tripods—all hoping to get that
perfect shot. I joined in the nightly watch too. Armed with my huge tripod
and my tiny little camera, I made a nightly trek to the top of a neighboring
building to take in the sights. |
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Why was there so much
fascination for our volcano? Well, it could be because Mount Mayon is
considered to be the most perfect cone-shaped volcano in the world—towering
over 8,000 feet above the Albay Gulf. Or it could be a result of the
Legazpi City Tourism campaign inviting people to “Come experience Eruption
2006! Featuring nightly viewing of Mount Mayon, beach resorts, diving,
great restaurants and shopping!” Whatever the reason, many friends and
family heard about our local excitement and were alarmed! |
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The local government enforced
the 6 kilometer Permanent Danger Zone which was expanded to an 8 kilometer
Extended Danger Zone on August 7th. There were forced
evacuations for people living inside these areas. Now for people who are
unfamiliar with
 “active”
volcanoes, it might seem strange that an evacuation must be forced upon
those in harms way, but for those who have lived their entire lives on the
slopes of this gentle giant, the mandate to leave your home can be even more
traumatic. Our house is located 12 kilometers from the summit. This is
considered to be a safe area, “far, far away” from the volcano, but for some
reason, most of our friends and family did not agree that 7 ½ miles was a
safe distance. We were asked repeatedly when we planned to evacuate. Our
answer remained, “When we are told to leave, we will leave.” |
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On August 7th, the
alert level was raised to “Level 4 – Hazardous Eruption Imminent”,
indicating that there was intense unrest and that a hazardous eruption is
possible within hours or days. It was at this point that we were advised by
the United States Embassy in Manila that American citizens in the
Philippines should avoid the Mayon Volcano area. Fortunately for us, our
“evacuation” was coinciding with our “vacation.” |
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 Every
year about this time, our family and the Robert Murphy family celebrate the
anniversary of our arrival in the Philippines by having a few days to “get
away.” This vacation get away was planned for August 8-11 this year—so our
vacation became our evacuation.
Our vacation with the Murphy
family was wonderful yet again. We decided that since our children are
growing older and more mature, we might even be able to make the next joint
vacation for four days instead of just three! But now, vacation is over and
the doldrums of evacuation have set in. We are making it, but constantly
wondering, “When are we going
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be able to go home?”
Please pray for us during
this time. We are not in any danger from the eruption! We are currently
staying in Metro Manila which is located almost 200 miles away from Mount
Mayon, but most of our friends and co-workers still remain in Albay. Please
pray for: |
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Safety for all those in harms way if a hazardous eruption
takes place. |
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Swift conclusion to this “slow” eruption. |
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Good health for the more than 44,000 evacuees who have been
forced to leave their homes to live in public schools and government
buildings. |
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Adequate physical and financial provisions for evacuees by the
local, regional and national government and the proper distribution of these
provisions. |
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Peace and order in the area surrounding Mayon. Many troops of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been brought in to restrict entry
into the Extended Danger Zone, but many of these areas are controlled by
communist militant groups. |
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Opportunities to minister to those who are displaced by the
forced evacuation—especially those from our mission church in Barangay Fidel
Sortida, Sto. Domingo, Albay. |
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Safety of all the mission workers and members still in Legazpi
City. |
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Wisdom in discerning God’s timing for our return home from
vacation—I mean our evacuation. |
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Wow, what a difference two
letters can make! |
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