The Date: November 30, 2006

This story happened almost three (3) years ago, but i decided to post this to remind people of how something so magnificent, so beautiful, like Mayon Volcano, can cause damage to this extent. Also, this can serve as a reminder on how nature can get back at us due to our own negligence.

Last November 30, 2006, Typhoon Reming (international code name: Durian), packing sustained winds of 265 km per hour, hit the Bicol region. The wind was so strong. I think the strongest I experienced so far. It seems the earth was moving and our house was shaking! Good thing it happened at daytime. People are awake. It was the most destructive typhoon in recent history of Bicol. Our city was also greatly affected. But the worst hit was the province of Albay where more than a thousand lives were lost. Several neighboring towns were covered with ashfalls and other volcanic debris, while a number of barangays at the foot of Mt. Mayon were totally buried in lahar.

I had a first hand account on how vast the destruction was. Weeks after the tragedy, my boss from my previous job, together with her family, decided to extend help to the victims of the calamity. I was their contact person. We went to the town of Guinobatan, particularly in Barangay Tandarora and Maipon, where most number of casualties were found.

These photos were taken during our relief operation.

-----This is what's left of a two-storey house ---------------- another submerged structure ---------------

-------------------------- an elementary school and a classroom where most evacuees -------------------------- ------------------------------ sought shelter, but were never able to get out... ever... -----------------------------

-------------- entrance to Brgy. Tandarora ----------------------- volcanic debris from Mayon --------------

---------------------------------------------------------- residential areas ---------------------------------------------------------

--------------- coconut plantation in Albay ------------------------------------- Lahar path -----------------------------

It was such an experience. Hearing the stories about the disaster from the townsfolk, gave me goosebumps... up to this day. The images of the enormous destruction still lingers in my mind from time to time. The smell was... whew! I don't wanna remember. There was an instance while were walking on one of the areas badly buried in lahar, a local told us that just a day ago, a cadaver was found on the exact spot where we are standing that very moment. It was a grim scenario.

The photos below were just along the national highway.





Let us all hope and pray that nothing close to this will happen again. Along with prayers, let us act on preventing these sort of events from happening.

NOTE: Please excuse some of the shots because those were taken on board a moving car.