As soon as I arrived, ash fall had mixed with rain, turning into mud. Within seconds, visibility was gone and the wipers of my car windshield were broken. I left my car and ran to the lakeside, where residents were looking on as the volcano shot up a giant ash column.
Evening was about to fall and I made the decision to travel to higher ground as soon as possible, an important choice, I would learn the next day. That night after I left, plenty of residents were left stranded in Talisay with no food and water. Houses and buildings were destroyed by the heavy ash fall, and rescuers had a difficult time evacuating those who remained as roads were rendered impassable. The devastation caused by the eruption was getting clearer. I would have been one of those stranded if I hadn’t left sooner.