One of man’s most challenging enemies is the rumble of nature.
Today marks the 34th anniversary of the July 16, 1990 killer earthquake.
But what happened to Baguio City after the magnitude 7.8 quake struck?
July 16, 1990…
A date that shook the history of the Philippines.
The date when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Luzon at exactly 4:26 in the afternoon.
In just forty-five seconds of shaking, thousands of lives were lost due to landslides.
Although the epicenter was in Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Baguio City, suffered extensive damage.
In an instant, the famous twelve-storey Hyatt Hotel collapsed where more than fifty people perished.
The popular Nevada Hotel also fell, along with Baguio Hilltop Hotel, Baguio Park Hotel, and several other hotels in the city where hundreds of people were trapped.
Twenty-three students from the University of Baguio also died.
Some were crushed, while others died after jumping from buildings.
This was just a part of the damage to structures.
Thousands also lost their homes.
They temporarily resided in tents in Burnham Park and other parks.
The city was even called tent city.
It took several years for the city to recover from the damage caused by the earthquake.
On the 34th anniversary of the 1990 killer earthquake, even though the fear remains in memory, the lessons in life, hope, and recovery have also been left for the residents of this so-called killer earthquake.
