In June 1991 I (just) survived the erruption of Mt Pinatubo, but Y2k may make that look like just plain fun. This is a long post, but some people could be interested in what happens in a truly chaotic and dangerous situation, where people die and it's every person for themselves...

I was in a metal drum, with angry people beating the outside with hammers. Then the artillery opened up with rapid thumps. I awoke, from a sound (San Miguel) induced sleep to the most alert state I've experienced - in an instant. The noise of rocks as big as golf balls pounding the tin roof was deafening. Above the din, a mate bashed hard on my door, yelling, "It's blown, it's blown, wake up you b*****, wake up!.

We were in Mabalacat, just a few miles from Pinatubo, in Pampanga, central Philippines. The Americans had pulled out of Clark Air Base, just down the road, a few days before. Even before the last vehicles rolled out of Clark, looters went over the fences and into action. They took EVERYTHING, nailed down, hidden, or not.

NOTE: All those posts about hiding stuff, pretending your place has been robbed already. FORGET IT!! If you're bugging out, when you bug back, there'll be nothing left. Including your 2000lb safe bolted to conrete. The baddies will have time, and no one much to stop them.

Anyway, we raised a San Mig as the GI's fled - sorry, vacated - around 17,000 troops in an endless procession of vehicles down McArthur Highway. . Though Pinatubo had spewed tons of ash for days, and had rumbled ominously, we ignored it and drank on.So did hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in the area (maybe not so much drinking). We should have know better, to get out while we could. It was on every tv news bulletin, every newspaper heaqdline screamed, "Pinatubo to blow". "Yeah, right. When was the last time?" Over eight hundred years ago. "'Nother round of RC's and some more b.b.q. asso, barman please"

NOTE: No one thought it would happen. No way. Even though Filipino vulcanologists and American experts KNEW it was about to happen, and the US troops were ordered out, people didn't want to face the truth . When it's bad news, and will affect your existence, even your life, there's a shut down, a disconnection takes place. IT JUST COULDN'T HAPPEN. But it did.

I joined a group of guys in a nearby house .Power was off, and it wasn't looking good. The mountain had literally blown its top, sending hundreds of thosands of tons of debris into the sky and over surrounding countryside (remember those spectacular sunsets, worldwide?) The explosions thunderd every few minutes with a deep, rumbling roar that sounded as if they came from the very belly of the earth. They did. Wind and lighning was starting and stones rained down along with thick ash, covering everything in a grey blanket. Some of the stones were the size of eggs. The intensity increased. Maybe soon they would be the size of footballs. Or larger. We decided to get out, fast, to Manila, less than 1oo miles south. We piled in a car and set off about 10pm. Within minutes we were caught in a monster traffic jam, everyone heading south, away from danger. The scene was unbelievable. Every type of vehicle ,over loaded with people and their few possessions. They clung to the sides of lorries, on the roofs of busses, on the bonnets, everywhere, protecting their heads with whatever they had from the stones and ash. The tollway booths were abandoned, all gas stations, restaurants, everything shut down and dark. The ash fell so so fast it was over a foot on the road, and the car wipers couldn't handle the volume. Soon there was no water and the wipers gave up, the driver leaning out of the window to see, getting blinded by the ash and stones. We'd gone only 10 miles or so when the engine overheated and we pulled over. Then (try not to laugh) we checked the petrol gauge. Yep. On empty! We had money and a petrol can and begged for fuel from the passing flood of vehicles. Most ignored us, looked through us, past us. A few smiled, shrugged. All drove on.

NOTES: 1. Don't leave your preps till the last minute. In a panic situation it;s too late to think clearly. DO IT TODAY.Get enough gas, spare tyre, fan belt, inflators, food, water, what ever you need. Have it in the vehicle or by the front door, READY TO GO. 2. In a real emergency you can rely only on yourself, your family (?), very close friends, and maybe those you have specific plans with. Forget charity, strangers coming to your assistance, we're all in this together etc etc. Sure, it can and does occur, but if the TSHTF in a big way, and people are scared for their lives, their focus is very narrow indeed. 3. If a gallon of water/case of food/gallon of gas means the difference between life and death, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN BUY IT WHEN ITS IN CRITICALLY SHORT SUPPLY. 4. If you plan on leaving the city, PLAN you escape.. Take a weekend and actually drive the different routes, as many as there are. Long ways as well as direct. Become familiar with them, keep a large scale, easy to read map in your glove box.

By now it's 3am. We're hungry and thirsty. We're parked off the road, and the scene is surreal, everything covered in thick grey ash, with broken, battered trees. Traffic's thinned out a bit. No way we can make it to Manlia, probably not back to Mabalacat. Then we see a vehicle heading through the dark and ash, going north, not south. It's a jeep with 3 US servicemen. Mate! Do we like Americans! Is the Pope a Catholic! We wave, they slow and pull across. "You guys Americans?" "No, we're Aussies, but we sure could use a gallon of gas". "Sorry guys, we......" the rest is lost as they drove back to the other side of the road and continue north, looking for strays. American strays. I really don;t have a problem with that. They had orders and priorities. We just didn't make it onto their priority list. BUT>>

NOTE: If you're expecting The Authorities to take care of you, dream on. If the S does HTF then I expect there will be many important pollies, senior public servants and others (who really DESERVE priority) who will get the armed escorts, protection, safe bunkers, access to food and supplies etc. WE, idiot taxpaying nonentities can join the other million peasants, in line, where we belong.

So we decided to drive back, real slow, as far as we could, then walk when we ran out of petrol.

It's late, 3-30am and this post is too long. We did get back, and what followed was the worst night of my life, with many deaths from fires, explosions and collapsing buildings. There was widespread destruction, constant earthquakes, major fires and huge elecrtrical storms.There was no power, water sewage or fresh food for weeks. It was like the end of the world. I've been in life threatening situations, including riots and looking down the wrong end of a shotgun. But this was REALLY scary. Anyway, I learned three important lessons from my experiences and I'd like to pass them on:

BE PREPARED BE PREPARED BE PREPARED

Lurker 2

-- Lurker 2 (Lurker 2@downunder.com), August 07, 1999

Answers

Wow, I had no idea Y2K could trigger a volcano. Must be all those embedded chips. Thanks for the heads up.

BTW, nice way to paint a dark picture. This and Galveston hurricane thread ought to be used as tools to teach people about the dangers of technology. Of course anybody you try to teach will have to be capable of making HUGE leaps in logic, but that shouldn't be a problem for the Doomer Bunch.

regards,

Polly A. Ester

-- Once again... (Y2K is @ grossly. misconstrued), August 07, 1999.

The point, which you obviously didn't get, was that preparation cannot be taken lightly and must be done NOW. Nobody else is going to be around to help when TSHTF. It makes a lot of sense, not that one would expect an idiot polly to grasp the concept. What he doesn't mention is that, due to the devastation Y2K will cause, the biggest threat to ones survival will be other people, which does make it a bit different than a natural disaster.

-- (its@coming.soon), August 07, 1999.

Lurker 2,

I've had lessons won from disasters as well, thanks for posting your experience here.

it's,

On the other hand, another person may hold the key to one's survival.

"Wax goes on, wax goes off"

--Karate Kid

-- flora (***@__._), August 07, 1999.

On the other hand, another person may hold the key to one's survival.

If so, then one hasn't prepared nearly enough.

-- (its@coming.soon), August 07, 1999.

it's,

In my experience it's foolish to presume you can prepare 'nearly enough' by one's lonesome. I've been suprised by what 'essential' item or talent I didn't possess when disasters have thrown down the gauntlet.

-- flora (***@__._), August 07, 1999.

"They took EVERYTHING, nailed down, hidden, or not.

NOTE: All those posts about hiding stuff, pretending your place has been robbed already. FORGET IT!! If you're bugging out, when you bug back, there'll be nothing left. Including your 2000lb safe bolted to conrete. The baddies will have time, and no one much to stop them. "

******************************************************

So, how exactly can you get "prepared" for this? .

Seems to me that most people who are in the way of natural disasters already have plans. But I guess this poster is trying to reach out to those of us who DON'T have plans. But then again since "the baddies" will have time to take everything I own, preparing is going to be limited to escape.

Hmm, escape, now is that something you prepare for or is it just something you do? After all, since you have no prior knowledge of WHAT you are escaping from, or WHERE you'll be escaping TO, then you'd be preparing for a mystery. (Looters everywhere, the entire landscape a warzone, proverbial "volcanos" at every turn)

That means you have to be prepared for EVERYTHING, all times, day or night.

Whew, a person could get obsessive over preparing.

Oh I'm sorry, did I insult any obsessive compulsives in the forum? Sorry must be the rational side of me that keeps resorting to the truth. That being of course, is that living in FEAR of EVERYTHING has a name, and it's called panophobia, or maybe more currently as Millennial Madness.

regards,

Polly A. Ester

-if you live within 5 miles of a 7-11 your within easy walking distance of a Slushy.

-- (TB2000 @ or... Paranoia INC.), August 07, 1999.

In my experience it's foolish to presume you can prepare 'nearly enough' by one's lonesome.

Not if you really know how to prepare, both physically and mentally.

I've been suprised by what 'essential' item or talent I didn't possess when disasters have thrown down the gauntlet.

If you were surprised, then you definitely weren't prepared. If your solution is to rely on someone else for that 'essential' item rather than improvising or learning to live without it, then you put yourself and your family at risk. It's an individual choice, just as not preparing at all is an individual choice, but I'm not as willing to watch my family die because of my bad choice.

-- (its@coming.soon), August 07, 1999.

Polly,

a just posted a Milne rant. Were you prepared?

-- flora (***@__._), August 07, 1999.

its,

I've worked my whole life towards prepartion and prevention. We'll have to agree to disagree on the proper mindset. Remember the risk of defending a fixed postion, I think that goes for our interior as well as the exterior world.

-- flora (***@__._), August 07, 1999.

I saw the Milne rant, and that is exactly what I took it for, a rant.

'Nuff said

regards,

Polly A. Ester

-if you live within 5 miles of a 7-11 your probably not living in Istanbul

-- (Polly@Phobia. anyone?), August 07, 1999.

Polly, if you think Y2K is not a big deal then GET LOST!!! Why are you here anyway? You are such a phony. Get a life!!!

-- Had It (hadit@disgusted.com), August 07, 1999.

I'm currently taking a emergency perpardness class free from my city. I too live in vocano country. Though this class does not cover y2k, it is reconmended to be prepared. Even for an evacuation. ie chemical spill, fuel leaks, or whatever would cause an evacuation. I'm not afraid of the aspects of y2k though choose not to risk the "possibilities" of it being being bad. We will have to adjust if it changes our custom of living.But an unexpected evacuation is a frighten thing to go through for whatever reason... to be prepared means one less stress factor.

Thanks for sharing, Ice

-- iceman (icemanltd@webtv.net), August 07, 1999.

This and Galveston hurricane thread ought to be used as tools to teach people about the dangers of technology. Of course anybody you try to teach will have to be capable of making HUGE leaps in logic, but that shouldn't be a problem for the Doomer Bunch.

Anybody who does not see that the lessons about psychology and sociology from Galveston and from Mt. Pinatubo apply to Y2K is 1) willfully stupid and/or (2) willfully blind.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 07, 1999.

So what does Psychology and Sociology have to do with a design flaw?

Your all here to try and find out what the end result of Y2K might be correct? So why drag psychology and sociology into a dicsussion about an engineering design flaw?

Could it be, because your all biased about the future and your looking for reasons to be afraid, and not looking for reasons to prove the dangers of Y2K?

regards,

Polly A. Ester

"-if you live within 5 miles of a 7-11 your toast" -PM

"NYC will resemble Beruit in 2000" -EY

"Of course I hope Y2K will bring down the system, I have looked forward to this all my adult life" -GN

-- (Maybe it's @ Guilt. Trip?), August 07, 1999.

It can be bad, but beautiful too....

I remember well that day in 1980?. There had been lots of warnings. Warnings for months and months. But the old guy just would not move off of his mountian. It was a beautiful Sunday morning. We were visiting her Mom and Pop in Portland. Grandpa decided that breakfast up the river would be a nice diversion, so we all piled in the car. After breakfast we did not notice that things had changed. Someone came over to our car and pointed. There just over the ridge.

Mount St. Helens had Blown.

We were 30? miles from ground Zero, but to the south, not to the north the way the force of the eruption went. We were lucky.

We drove up onto Mt Hood and watched the specticle. There is a picture with my 1 year old son on one shoulder and the plume of the valcano going up over the other sholder. We went back to grandpa's in Portland and watched all day the News coverage. It was all over the local TV but the Networks did not give it much coverage. We watched and watched. Flooding, trees, ash... yakama city.....where day turned to night.

The Y2K point of this story:

You may have power, water, all the conviences.

The next door city may be decimated.

It is life.... Enjoy what you can.....

It will get worse before it gets better.

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), August 07, 1999.

I had a friend who went thro' the volcano bi in the Phillippines. Said it was terrifying. Some of the points raised are valid for Y2K preparation, so when do we hear the end of the story? NoOne NoWhere

-- NoOne No Where (NoWhere@togo.com), August 09, 1999.

So what does Psychology and Sociology have to do with a design flaw?

Like I said: willfully blind and/or willfully stupid.

-- Lane Core Jr. (elcore@sgi.net), August 09, 1999.