What is Calamity and Disaster?

Calamity is an event resulting in great loss while Disaster is an unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent change to the natural environment. 

List of Calamities in the Philippines

1. AstronomicalPhenomenon

·         2. VolcanicEruptions

·         3. Earthquake(s)

·         4. Typhoon

Astronomical Phenomenon

Pre-History

Event	Date	Cause
Quaternary extinction event	Pleistocene 640,000, 74,000, and 13,000 years ago	Clovis comet? (13,000 years ago)[1]
Pliocene–Pleistocene boundary marine extinction	Pliocene 2 Ma	Supernova in the Scorpius-Centaurus OB association

Historical Era

Event	Date	Cause
Meteorite impact (Tablas Island,Romblon)	March 7, 2011	At about 10am on March 7, 2011 (UTC+8), a loud explosion was heard at the island of Tablas in Romblon province in Central Philippines. It was followed by a tremor. Fishermen on sea saw a fiery and swift ball of fire falling from sky (daytime).

Volcanic Eruptions

Pre-History

The Ancestral Mount Pinatubo Erupted during pre-history, but it is less-explosive than the modern Mount Pinatubo.

The Mt.Masaraga,The thick lava flows from Holocene period are still present on the flanks of the mountain.

·         Most of the Eruption recorded from potentially active Stratovolcano according to dated Lava flows .

Event	Date	Notes
Eruption of Mount Panay	Pleistocene	Last eruptive activity is thought to be Pleistocene, about 500,000 years ago.[4]
Eruption of Mount Arayat	Holocene	There are no cultural records of historical eruptions. However, weak steaming is currently present in some of the heavily eroded vents on the North Western side of the summit. The ancient eruptions were said to have caused the formation of a Lava Dome on the Western Slopes of the mountain known as White Rock which makes a nice tourist destination and is usually a field trip destination for students of Pampanga Agricultural College. The Arayat amphitheatre is said to have been caused by the summit's collapse on the western side but a much deeper crater is present on the eastern side, it was said that the mountain was once a volcanic island, until eruptions covered the surrounding area with soil, eruptions were said to be the possible cause of a theorized re-route of Pampanga River which is said to have once passed on the western side rather than eastern side where it currently moves[4]
Eruption of Mount Natib	PleistoceneorHolocene	There are no historical eruptions within the Natib caldera complex. Studies in 1991 (Panum and Rayem) indicate that the last eruptive activity was probably Holocene to upper Pleistocene. An earlier study in 1971 (Ebasco Services) dated the eruptive products between 69,000 +/- 27,000 years old.
Eruption of Mt.Masaraga	Holocene	There are no historical eruptions from the volcano with the last eruptive activity dated as Holocene as reported by the Global Volcanism Program. Thick lava flows from that period are present on the flanks of Mount Masaraga, an understudied volcano in the Philippines.
Eruption of Laguna Caldera	C28,000 BP	The caldera, whose lake surface is only 1m above sea level, may have formed by least two major eruptions of about 1 million and 27,000-29,000 years ago.[4]
Eruption of Mount Malinao	60,000 BP	There are no historical eruptions from Malinao which is believed to have been active from about 500,000 years ago until 60,000 years ago.[5]
Eruption of Cuernos de Negros	12,000 BC	An earlier study in 1971 (Ebasco Services) dated the eruptive products between 69,000 +/- 27,000 years old.
Eruption of Ancestral Pinatubo	Holocene 1.1 million years ago	The activity of Ancestral Pinatubo seems to have begun about 1.1 million years ago and probably ended tens of thousands or more before the birth of 'Modern Pinatubo'. Much of the rugged land surrounding the present volcano consists of remnants of 'ancestral' Pinatubo. It was an andesite and dacite stratovolcano with its eruptive activity much less explosive than modern Pinatubo.
Eruption of Mt.Mariveles	2050 BCE	There are no recorded historical eruptions from Mariveles caldera, with the last activity indicated byRadiocarbon dating occurring around mid-Holocene or about 2050 BCE.

Volcanic Eruptions

Pre-History

The Ancestral Mount PinatuboErupted during pre-history, but it is less-explosive than the modern Mount Pinatubo.

The Mt.Masaraga,The thick lava flows from Holocene period are still present on the flanks of the mountain.

• Most of the Eruption recorded from potentially active Stratovolcano according to dated Lava flows .

Event	Date	Notes
Eruption of Mount Panay	Pleistocene	Last eruptive activity is thought to be Pleistocene, about 500,000 years ago.
Eruption of Mount Arayat	Holocene	There are no cultural records of historical eruptions. However, weak steaming is currently present in some of the heavily eroded vents on the North Western side of the summit. The ancient eruptions were said to have caused the formation of a Lava Dome on the Western Slopes of the mountain known as White Rock which makes a nice tourist destination and is usually a field trip destination for students of Pampanga Agricultural College. The Arayat amphitheatre is said to have been caused by the summit's collapse on the western side but a much deeper crater is present on the eastern side, it was said that the mountain was once a volcanic island, until eruptions covered the surrounding area with soil, eruptions were said to be the possible cause of a theorized re-route of Pampanga River which is said to have once passed on the western side rather than eastern side where it currently moves
Eruption of Mount Natib	PleistoceneorHolocene	There are no historical eruptions within the Natib caldera complex. Studies in 1991 (Panum and Rayem) indicate that the last eruptive activity was probably Holocene to upper Pleistocene. An earlier study in 1971 (Ebasco Services) dated the eruptive products between 69,000 +/- 27,000 years old.
Eruption of Mt.Masaraga	Holocene	There are no historical eruptions from the volcano with the last eruptive activity dated as Holocene as reported by the Global Volcanism Program. Thick lava flows from that period are present on the flanks of Mount Masaraga, an understudied volcano in the Philippines.
Eruption of Laguna Caldera	C28,000 BP	The caldera, whose lake surface is only 1m above sea level, may have formed by least two major eruptions of about 1 million and 27,000-29,000 years ago.
Eruption of Mount Malinao	60,000 BP	There are no historical eruptions from Malinao which is believed to have been active from about 500,000 years ago until 60,000 years ago.
Eruption of Cuernos de Negros	12,000 BC	An earlier study in 1971 (Ebasco Services) dated the eruptive products between 69,000 +/- 27,000 years old.
Eruption of Ancestral Pinatubo	Holocene 1.1 million years ago	The activity of Ancestral Pinatubo seems to have begun about 1.1 million years ago and probably ended tens of thousands or more before the birth of 'Modern Pinatubo'. Much of the rugged land surrounding the present volcano consists of remnants of 'ancestral' Pinatubo. It was an andesite and dacite stratovolcano with its eruptive activity much less explosive than modern Pinatubo.
Eruption of Mt.Mariveles	2050 BCE	There are no recorded historical eruptions from Mariveles caldera, with the last activity indicated byRadiocarbon dating occurring around mid-Holocene or about 2050 BCE.

Historical Era

Only the church tower remains of the Cagsawa Church, which was buried by the 1814 eruption ofMayon Volcano.

The eruption column of Modern Pinatubo on June 12, 1991, three days before the climactic eruption.

Map of Pinatubo showing nearby peaks and the evacuation zones.

Eruptions have also destroyed numerous lakeside towns, burying them with volcanic ash or submerged them by rising lake waters displaced by the erupted material. Lipa, Taal, Sala, Bauan and Tanauan were formerly located along Taal Lake. Presently, only three towns are on the lake's shore. Remnants of the old lakeside towns are reported to be seen under the lake's waters.^[9]

Event	Date	Notes
Leonard Kniaseff	c.120AD.[7]	There was a scare in 1995 but PHIVOLCS investigation at the time did not disclose any unusual activity, and no unusual activity has been reported since.
San Pablo Volcanic Field	1350 AD +/- 100	Last activity was the formation of Sampaloc Lake around 1350 AD +/- 100 years determined byanthropology[8]
Taal Eruption	1572 to 1977 and 1991	The Siries of eruptions create a Caldera Lake for a long time, Showing signs of unrest since and permanently monitored.
Mayon Eruption	1616 to 2014	The most destructive eruption of Mayon occurred on February 1, 1814 (VEI=4). Lava flowed but not as much compared to the 1766 eruption; Instead, the volcano was belching dark ash and eventually bombarded the town of Cagsawa with tephra that buried it. Trees were burned; rivers were certainly damaged. Proximate areas were also devastated by the eruption, with ash accumulating to 9 m (30 ft) in depth. In Albay, a total of 2,200 locals perished in what is considered to be the most lethal eruption in Mayon's history; estimates byPHIVOLCS list the casualties at about 1,200, however. The eruption is believed to have contributed to the accumulation of atmospheric ash,[citation needed] capped by the catastrophic eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815, that led to the Year Without a Summer in 1816.
Pinatubo Eruption	1500 and 1991	Reawakened in 1990 producing the 2nd largest eruption in the 20th century. Followed by milder eruptions in 1992 and 1993,On July 16, 1990, the major 1990 Luzon earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck central Luzon. This was the largest earthquake recorded in 1990,[10]
Mt.KanlaonEruption	1886 to 2006	The most active volcano in central Philippines, Kanlaon has erupted 26 times since 1919. Eruptions are typically phreatic explosions of small-to-moderate size that produce minor ash falls near the volcano. In 1902, the eruption was classified as strombolian, typified by the ejection of incandescent cinder, lapilli and lava bombs.
Bulusan Eruption	1886 to 2011	Bulusan is generally known for its sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions. It has erupted 15 times since 1885 and is considered as the 4th most active volcano in the Philippines after Mayon, Taal, and Kanlaon, There are evacuation procedures in place for parts of the peninsula, the farms nearest the volcano are evacuated, and many of the village schools are closed if it is considered possible that a more destructive eruption could occur.
Mt.Hibok-hibok Eruption	1827, 1862, 1871 and 1948–1952	On February 16, 1871, earthquakes and subterranean rumblings began to be felt on the island, which increased in severity until April 30 when a volcanic fissure opened up 400 yards southwest of the village of Catarman, on the northwest flank of Hibok-hibok Volcano. From the opening, lava was continuously ejected and poured into the sea for four years destroying the town. At the same time, the vent started gaining in height and width thus forming Mt. Vulcan. In 1875, the Challenger expedition visited the area, and described the mountain as a dome, about 1,950 feet (590 m) in height, without any crater, but still smoking and incandescent at the top.[11]

Earthquake(s)

Pre-History

• There are no recorded of events nor few about earthquake before the History was written, but it would be possibly causes by collision of Tectonic Plates and Volcanic Eruptions, resulting to an earthquakes, and forming another Mountains , Volcanoes and even Lakes.

• For example, the Taal Volcano, This is a part of a chain of volcanoes along the island of Luzon, which were formed by two tectonic plates colliding over 500,000 years ago. Since the formation of this large caldera, subsequent eruptions created another volcanic island, within Taal Lake, known as Volcano Island.^[12]

Historical Era

The bell tower of the Manila Cathedral after the series of destructive earthquakes of July 1880.

The ruins of a church after the 2013 earthquake.

The table below is a tally of the ten most deadliest recorded earthquakes in the Philippines since the 1600s with having the most number of casualties:

18th century

• An intensity VII struck Lake Bombon (now known as Taal Lake) on September 24, 1716. It was connected with the eruption of Taal volcano; the constant volcanic activity in the area of Taal caused seismic movements.

• An intensity IX struck Tayabas (now known as Quezon) in 1730. It had ruined the churches and convent in Mauban and several other churches in the province of Tayabas and Laguna.

19th century

• An earthquake on June 3, 1863, destroyed the Manila Cathedral, the Ayuntamiento (City Hall), the Governor's Palace (all three located at the time on Plaza Mayor, now Plaza de Roma) and much of the city. The residence of the Governor-General was moved toMalacañang Palace located about 3 km (1.9 miles) up the Pasig River, while the other two buildings were rebuilt in place.

• An intensity X struck Luzon on July 14–24, 1880.^[13] The quake caused severe damage to these major cities in Luzon, most significantly in Manila where a lot of buildings collapsed. Number of casualties are unknown.^[14]

• A quake struck Lucban, Quezon on October 26, 1884. It destroyed churches in Lucban town in Quezon province and Cavinti town in Laguna province.^[14]

Ten deadliest recorded earthquakes in the Philippines since the 1600s
Magnitude		Origin	Location	Date	Mortality	Missing	Injured	Damages	Source
1	7.9	Tectonic	Moro Gulf	August 16, 1976	4791	2288	9928
2	7.8	Tectonic	Luzon Island	July 16, 1990	1666	1000	More than 3000	₱ 10 billion
3	7.5	Tectonic	Luzon Island	November 30, 1645	More than 600		More than 3000	Unknown
4	7.3	Tectonic	Casiguran, Aurora	August 2, 1968	271		261
5	7.2	Tectonic	Bohol & Cebu	October 15, 2013	222	8	796	₱ 4 billion (est.)	[15]
6	7.1	Tectonic	Mindoro	November 15, 1994	78		430	₱ 5.15 million	[16]
7	6.7	Tectonic	Negros Oriental	February 6, 2012	51	62	112	₱ 383 million
8	8.3	Tectonic	Panay (Lady Caycay)	January 25, 1948	50 (est)			₱ 7 million
9	Unknown	Tectonic	Manila	June 19, 1665	19			Unknown
10	6.5	Tectonic	Laoag	August 17, 1983	16		47
11	7.5	Tectonic	Mindanao Island	March 5, 2002	15		100
12	7.2	Tectonic	magnitude of 7.2 earthquake struck Bohol	October 15, 2013	85			--->