Stranded animals rescued from Philippine volcano island by local residents who ignored the exclusion zone to save them.
In this Jan. 14, 2020, photo, residents clean their roofs from volcanic ash in Laurel, Batangas province, southern Philippines, as Taal volcano continues to spew ash. So far no one has been reported killed in the eruption, but the disaster is spotlighting the longstanding dilemma of how the government can move settlements away from danger zones threatened by volcanoes, landslides, floods and typhoons in one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
“Almost everything was destroyed," Christian Morales told The Associated Press, adding that he was only able to get his bearings after seeing the cross of a mud-encrusted Catholic church where he used to hear Mass. “If anybody defied orders and stayed behind, he would have been killed without a doubt.”
That has never been enforced, however, and Taal's destructive explosions have proven deadly in the past, including a 1965 eruption that killed more than 200 people and ravaged the island's villages. Areas overlooking the 62,000-hectare lake and volcano island, which has its own crater lake, have turned into boom towns of hotels, restaurants and spas. Visitors can go on tours by boat and horseback, hike trails with sweeping views and hire guides to take them bird watching.
What happens next is unclear. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has recommended that the thousands of residents should not be allowed to return to the island for good.
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