On Jun. 15, 1991, the Philippine archipelago shook with terror as Mt. Pinatubo erupted which led to the death of approximately 350 inhabitants and leaving 100, 000 people homeless.
The geographic catastrophe lasted for nine hours which enveloped the atmosphere with 15 and 30 million tons of sulfur dioxide gas that reached the height of 34 kilometers (21 miles) high and 400 km (250 miles) wide within the two hours. Incidentally, with the deadly lash of Mt. Pinatubo, a tropical storm Yunya was passing 75 km (47 miles) to the northeast of Mount Pinatubo.
The ash that came from the volcano was mixed with the water vapor in the air causing a rainfall of tephra over almost the entire island of Luzon. This may have been attributed to the increase in death toll since most of the deaths recorded were caused by the weight of the ash and rubble collapsing roofs on the victims.
Damaging 75, 236 houses over five provinces, 200, 000 people were forced to evacuate their homes and move to settle down in twenty resettlement sites provided by the government. According to Mercado et al, “Damage to crops, infrastructure, and personal property totaled at least 10.1 billion pesos ($US 374 million) in 1991, and an additional 1.9 billion pesos ($US 69 million) in 1992. In addition, an estimated 454 million pesos ($US 17 million) of business was foregone in 1991, as was an additional 37 million pesos ($US 1.4 million) of business in 1992. The costs of caring for evacuees (including construction of evacuation camps and relocation centers) was at least 2.5billion pesos ($US 93 million) in 1991-92, and an additional 4.2 billion pesos ($US 154 million) was spent during the same period on dikes and dams to control lahars (1996: 1063).”
The eruption wreaked its havoc worldwide with longterm damages it induced in aircraft and engines due to the sulfate deposit accumulation.
There were also climate changes reported, lessening the quantity of solar radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, lowering temperatures in the troposphere, and changing atmospheric circulation patterns as reported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).
Sources:
“The 1991 Pinatubo eruptions and their effects on aircraft operations,” 1999 study by United States Geological Survey (USGS), United States of America; “The Volcanic Mount Pinatubo Eruption of 1991 that Cooled the Planet” in http://geography.about.com/ ; “” in http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm; “The Cataclysmic 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo, Philippines” in U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 113-97
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