'People are resilient': Nashville woman in the Philippines as Taal Volcano erupted

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — A Nashville resident is relieved to be home after the Taal Volcano erupted, turning her trip into chaos.

As Cora Newcomb traveled with five other family members from Tennessee to the Philippines, she never expected her fun-filled vacation plans would end up broken. Newcomb was in Lipa City celebrating a wedding and spending time with loved ones when the unthinkable happened – the Taal Volcano erupted nearby in the Batangas province starting on Jan. 12.

“As the day went on, we realized that we have family members who were visiting the vicinity, so we started to panic,” Newcomb said.

Newcomb believed her family may be far enough away from the volcanic fury, but still uncertainty lingered.

“We were far from the volcano, but if the big eruption happens, we may not be far enough,” Newcomb remembers thinking. “There’s no telling when the big eruption would happen.”

Spewing lava and giant clouds of ash, the Taal Volcano unleashed hazardous amounts of gases that forced people to evacuate their homes.

Newcomb and her family didn’t waste any time. They quickly decided to leap into action to help those impacted by the eruption. She visited three evacuation centers and found out what people needed.

The family collected food, hygiene products and sleeping mats for evacuees. They also used social media to keep everyone in the area aware of the latest conditions.

“One thing that I am so amazed at is that people are very resilient and faithful. We all were just calm. I mean it’s an amazing calmness and there’s no complaining. People were not crying for help. They were just like very thankful for every minute, that we are OK, we are not hurt, we are alive,” Newcomb said. “And those people who had the ability to help were very proactive, young people, social groups, schools. We did not need to wait for any government agencies to help, which I think is amazing. People just helping each other.”

Newcomb described the eruptions as small, but mighty. She said in five days, they felt quite a few earthquakes. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology's latest update, there were at least 718 volcanic earthquakes linked to the Taal Volcano since Jan. 12.

Still, the family feared the eruptions would worsen.

“There’s so much feeling of uncertainty because we didn’t know. It could erupt at any time. We may get trapped in the city or we could leave now, so we were packed even three days before our departure because we were afraid that the ash could go as far as Manila or there’s no telling if the emission of gas or ash or it could be a really big eruption,” Newcomb said.

She continued: “I was happy that I was there because I was able to help. But at some point, it got real scary.”

Newcomb returned to Nashville on Sunday evening with feelings of relief and thankfulness. She’s still trying to assist those in the Philippines. She asked those wanting to help to click here.