The Bicol region was one of Milenyo’s hardest hit areas. Having not yet fully recovered from Milenyo’s aftermath, the region was once again hit by a typhoon that was twice as powerful as Milenyo. The strong winds and the heavy rains triggered an unforeseen massive landslide that killed more than a thousand people. While everyone was sitting comfortably in their homes in Manila, the 1814 Mayon eruption that wiped out the whole town of Cagsaua has repeated itself and eradicated not just one town. All that remains from lush rice fields and sturdy houses is a broad black dessert and the stench of bodies decaying.
Beauty and beast
Houses used to stand here
Seeing something on TV is far different from being able to experience and to see it in person. This was an eye opener for me. Each person has a sad experience to tell but what moved me most was the story of a kid whose family was wiped out by the flood together with their house. The boy was able to escape the flood that swept a portion of their house. But realizing that his family is gone, he decides to join them and jumped into the raging mud and water. I am still wondering what was running in this boy's mind.
