Her neighborhood was leveled. The Tolentinos and 100 other poor families along the Albacan River in Angeles, a once-bustling city of 280,000 people in the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, lost their homes Saturday in mudslides and floods brought on by the volcano's powerful eruption.; One resident, an elderly man, drowned in the torrent of thick volcanic ash and rainwater.; Because of impassable roads and downed telephone lines, it was still impossible Monday to determine the extent of the damage.; The death toll from the eruptions of Mount Pinatubo, combined with a series of earthquakes and torrential rains, increased to more than 200, according to Philippine television. The Philippine Red Cross said at least 101 people had been killed.; The government estimated damage to property and crops at about $200 million.; Most of the deaths occurred when houses and other buildings collapsed under the weight of as much as eight inches of ash and sand spewed from the rumbling crater.; Hundreds of people across the island of Luzon were reported missing, while hundreds of thousands of others have been left homeless.; As many as 150,000 people fleeing the volcano were said to be crowding into evacuation centers Monday night in Manila, the capital, about 50 miles south of the volcano.; Volcano scientists continued to express a careful optimism. Raymondo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said in an interview that while the volcano remained a threat, the eruptions were "simmering down" and "significant, critical eruptions are probably over."; Manila's domestic and international airports were scheduled to reopen today, three days after they were closed because of concern that ash from the volcano would damage jet engines.; Despite the optimism from scientists, however, the exodus of families fleeing the volcano area continued late Monday as buses and trucks caked with gray ash jammed roads leading into Manila. The government has set up more than 100 makeshift shelters in churches, schools, army camps and gymnasiums in the capital.; In the wake of the eruptions, Filipinos are facing monumental tasks. Food and clean drinking water were running low in the central and southwestern portions of the main Luzon island, which bore the brunt of the volcano's week of fury.; Angeles was without electricity Monday and so many stores and gasoline stations were closed that it was difficult to find food and fuel.; Dozens of angry residents stormed a row of food shops in the city's market, forced open the doors with crowbars and carted away canned goods and other items, police and witnesses said.; "We will die of hunger if we don't do this," one of the looters said.; Fifteen people were arrested after more than 100 pigs were stolen from a farm near Angeles.; Another U.S. Navy flotilla steamed toward Subic Bay today to help speed the American exodus, and Filipinos complained that their government failed to prepare them for the devastating fury of Mount Pinatubo.; "We were really caught flat-footed. They had not expected anything of this magnitude," said Gov. Bren Guiao of Pampanga province, where about 120,000 refugees were seeking help.; "It's about time we left," said Lisa Hedland, wife of an Air Force sergeant, as she prepared to board the cruiser Long Beach with her 15-month-old daughter. "It's been horrible this past week."; For most Filipinos fleeing the volcano, the journey to safety was less orderly and far more difficult.; "We have nothing except the clothes we are wearing," said Solidad Santiago, a 41-year-old laundry worker from Angeles, who fled to a Manila evacuation center Sunday with most but not all of her family.; "Our house collapsed because of the volcano," said Santiago, a widow, whose face showed signs of the wrenching fear of the past week. "My oldest son stayed behind to try to guard our possessions.; "He should be here by now," she said. "I have gone on the public address system here and called his name, but there is never any response. I am very concerned. I pray he is safe."; Santiago and her family were among nearly 5,000 refugees who crowded Monday into the shaded bleachers of a Manila sports stadium that is being used as an evacuation center.; The evacuees were provided with food -- mostly sausages, rice and crackers donated by local businesses.; "We have lost everything, but still I am happy, happy to be here," said Romayo Garcia, a 29-year-old mason, whose house near the now-evacuated Clark Air Base, about 10 miles east of Mount Pinatubo, had collapsed from the weight of volcanic ash.; "The rocks were as big as this," he said, bringing together his thumbs and index fingers to make a circle five inches wide. "It was impossible to walk. People panicked. We had to find a way to get out."; Garcia said he and several members of his family trudged nearly 20 miles through ankle-deep ash until they found a truck driver willing to take them to Manila.
There were many personal stories of panic and wrenching sadness as thousands of residents of the Mount Pinatubo area fled their homes after the eruption. All of nature seemed to be conspiring against the Philippines. There were mudslides, torrential rain, floods, and always the heavy mass of volcanic ash. The eruption was a major event in Philippine history. The heavy thick ash has collapsed homes and buildings. Evacuation centers are jammed with people. Angeles is without power and there is looting because of the lack of food.