Mindanao State University- Iligan Institute of Technology

College of Engineering and Technology

Bachelor of Engineering Technology- Civil Engineering
and Technology
Tibanga, Iligan City

2020 Volcanic Eruption in the

Philippines−Taal Volcano

A Case Study Paper

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements in

CET 141-Fundamentals of Engineering Geology

BASTASA, Babe Marielou

BET-CET II

May 2020
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Taal_Volcano_eruption#/media/File:Taal_Volcano_-
_12_January_2020.jpg

Explosive volcanoes blast hot solid and molten rock fragments, and gases into the
air. Ash can fall hundreds of miles downwind, and dangerous mudflows/floods can occur
in valleys leading away from volcanoes.

On the 12th of January, 2020, the second most active in the Philippines – dropped
ash and volcanic materials upon dozens of towns and villages, affecting 459,300 people
on the island of Luzon and forcing 70,413 people to evacuate to 300 shelters in the
provinces of Batangas, Cavite, and Laguna.

Around 1:00pm local time a smoke cloud from a volcanic eruption caused low
visibility to the area where Mt. Taal is located. The Taal Volcano in the Philippines
located in the province of Batangas, Calabarzon Region awoke from 43 years of quiet
and began to emit gases, ash, and lava into the air. Several days and weeks that followed
the eruption dropped a layer of unusually wet, heavy ash on the surrounding landscape,
withering vegetation and turning the lush fields and forests of Volcano Island a ghostly
gray.
  According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
(PHIVOLCS), increasing steam activity was observed in at least five areas inside the
main crater with frequent phreatic explosions that generated a steam laden tephra column
reaching 10-15km high.  In a statement given by PHIVOLCS director Dr. Renato
Solidum, seismic swarms began at 11 am and were later followed by a phreatic
eruption from Volcano Island Main Crater at around 1 pm Philippine Standard
Time. Loud rumbling sounds were also felt and heard from the volcano island.
Furthermore, Solidum confirmed that there was a magmatic intrusion that was driving the
volcano's unrest. In an Initial Rapid Assessment, in January 18 and 19 2020, IOM surge
team conducted initial rapid assessments in Batangas and Cavite provinces. Primary
focus of the assessment was around the management of evacuation centres (collective
sites) and the overall displacement scenario.

EFFECTS OF TAAL VOLCANO ERUPTION

The eruption of Mt. Taal caused great damage not just in the landscape of
Batangas but also in the lives of people settling there. The casualties that it brought to the
people almost destroy every living thing surrounding the volcano. A total of 39 people
died as a result of this eruption of Taal, although only one reported case was directly
caused by the eruption on January 12, 2020. Two months later, the ash-damaged
landscape still looks more like the Moon than the tropics. On March 11, 2020,
the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired an image of Taal that
underscores the consequences of the ashfall.

Aside from a few green promontories on the north side of the island, ash has
altered much of the landscape, including several villages along the coasts. A
volcanologist at Denison University, Erik Klemetti explained that, “Most of the ash has
likely washed away by now, but signs of it will persist for millennia in the rock record,”
“Most of the ash that fell within the caldera is in the process of getting concentrated into
gullies and streams or deposited into the lake.”

 In Taal’s case, the ash was particularly problematic because it grew wet
enough to achieve the texture of mud, before drying and hardening into something like
cement. It also caused great damage to the agricultural aspect in the country especially to
the farmers. Their crops were damaged and covered with ash. Large numbers of livestock
and pets were also left behind when tens of thousands of people evacuated.

REMEDY/RESPONSE

The eruption blanketed in ash the areas on the windfall of Taal Volcano, with
many people exposed to the health risk of inhaling ash particles as well as injuries and
other health issue. Action Against Hunger is working to provide access to drinking water
and basic sanitation and to distribute essential supplies, including blankets, mats,
mosquito nets, and personal hygiene kits. Also, The Philippine Emergency Medical
Assistance Team (PEMAT), led and coordinated by the Department of Health with
support from the World Health Organization, answered the call to augment the health
response during the Taal Volcano eruption. Emergency medical teams from the Dr Jose
N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium (DJNRMHS) in Caloocan City in Metro
Manila and the Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital (JBLMRH) in San Fernando,
Pampanga in Central Luzon were deployed to Batangas.

The health personnel were composed of doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, medical
technicians, social workers, logisticians, pharmacists, and administrative staff. Self-
sufficiency is crucial during deployment, so the teams brought with them all their needs –
from the tents, water supply, generators, beds, medicines, and equipment.
RECOMMENDATIONS

To avoid greater damage and loss of lives and properties here are some
recommendations:

FOR THE SETTLER NEAR TAAL VOLCANO

 Always listen to a radio or television for the latest emergency information.

 Prepare all the emergency kit needed when there is a disaster such as basic necessities
like foods, water, medicine and some clothes.
 Put in everything important in a safe place like important documents and your pets.
 When the authorities advice you to evacuate, you should follow and evacuate
immediately.
 If you are unable to evacuate, and in order to protect yourself from falling ash, you
should remain indoors with doors, windows and ventilation closed until the ash settles
unless there is a danger of the roof collapsing.
 Use goggles and wear eyeglasses instead of contact lenses. Use a dust mask or hold a
damp cloth over your face to help with breathing.
 It is much better if you evacuate immediately after hearing news or information that
there is an unusual behavior of the volcano.

Although it may seem safe to stay inside during an eruption, doing so could be
dangerous. Listen to local authorities instructions during evacuation orders.

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146444/an-ash-damaged-island-in-the-
philippines

https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/taal-volcano-eruption-2020-philippines-
calabarzon-region-situation-report-no-2-21