The July 16, 1990 Killer Quake

Image Source: cityofpines.com

The July 16, 1990 killer quake came like a thief in the middle of the night. It shook the Philippine archipelago and left many structures in ruins. It served as a reminder to all of mankind that we are all but helpless against nature's wrath. When it hit us, I was smiling at first but a few seconds later, that smile was wiped out and was replaced by terror.

I'll never forget that fateful day. I just came from a successful job hunting. My uncle and I were having a conversation about it when the wooden floors of the house started creaking. He told me to stop twiddling my feet. Told him I'm not. The ground beneath us appeared to be shaking, rising and swaying left to right.

I tried to stand up but to no avail. My uncle was able to grab the portable transistor radio but no one was on the air. I mean, under such circumstances, who'd dare to do a live broadcast? The anchors surely must have scampered outside their respective stations for safety.

We decided to stay inside the house because it's a lot safer we reckoned. It was an old house made of wood. As we all know, these structures go with the flow unlike concrete structures that tend to fight the impact thus making it more susceptible to collapsing. It could have lasted less than a minute but it seemed like an eternity.

I proceeded to an aunt's house to check out the news. There was no traffic, the streets were practically deserted. It was like a scene straight out of the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. My cousins and I were glued to our seats listening intently to the extended coverage of the quake.

I had a hard time sleeping that night for fear of another tremor. Thank God there weren't any. Still, I was unable to shake the fear off and practically stayed awake till the wee hours of the morning. I really couldn't wait for the sunrise to assure myself that a new day had indeed dawned.