Rand said that Americans who live on or near the base would drive or be bused to the U.S-operated Subic Bay Naval Base, about an hour's drive to the southwest. The evacuation was to take four hours, he said.; There was no indication how long the Americans would stay, but they were ordered to take along important papers and three days worth of food, water and clothing.; Philippines officials earlier had ordered the evacuation of more than 11,000 people from about 20 villages near the volcano, about 60 miles northwest of Manila, after a series of small eruptions began Friday. No injuries were reported over the weekend.; Raymundo Punongbayan, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said, however, that two moderate eruptions shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday appeared to signal a larger explosion.; "We're expecting a major eruption," he said in a telephone interview early today. "We're just at the beginning stage of eruptions. We're expecting many, many more."; Punongbayan said that the 4,795-foot-high volcano was spewing gases up to 1,800 degrees, thick black ash, boulders and rock fragments in two fast-moving streams from two vents on the western side of the lower summit.; "It's very dangerous," he said. "Anything along its path will be destroyed."; Clouds and ashes; Sunday's eruptions sent a dense cloud of steam and ash billowing thousands of feet above rice paddies that are lush green from an impending harvest. Heavy black clouds shrouded the mountain, and a blanket of gray ash covered nearby fields. Debris reportedly was sprayed as far as the South China Sea, 20 miles to the west.; Villagers from a 12-mile radius of the mountain fled the area on foot and water buffalo, and aboard crowded trucks and jitneys. The Philippines Red Cross said 11,024 people, including local Aeta aborigines, were evacuated to 18 disaster relief centers set up at area schools, but officials said that many villagers stayed behind to protect their animals and farms from looters.; Rand said the evacuation of Clark was ordered "due to a slight increase of volcanic activity" overnight. All U.S. Air Force planes had moved from the base to Cubi Point Naval Air Station near Subic on Sunday, and infants in the base's neo-natal hospital and other patients had been flown out.; Evacuation rehearsal; All military personnel at Clark, home of the 13th Air Force, were recalled to the base Sunday afternoon, and U.S. officials ordered local Americans to pack bags and rehearse evacuation procedures.; "People are pretty calm," said one American woman who lives on the base. "People are prepared."; Rand said that a minimal number of troops would remain at Clark to guard the facility and maintain essential services. Marines from Subic as well as Philippines and U.S. military police were deployed along the road to provide security.; The volcano began showing signs of activity in April for the first time in 600 years, and last week it began belching small amounts of steam and smoke. Seismologists reported a marked increase in volcanic tremors last week, with intense seismic quakes on the mountain Friday.; Last eruption; Mount Pinatubo last erupted in 1380, 141 years before Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer flying the flag of Spain, first reached the islands in search of spices.; There are about 21 active and 200 dormant volcanoes in the Philippines, which sits on the "Ring of Fire" that circles the Pacific Ocean. Scientists said there was no connection, however, to the eruption last Monday of Japan's Mount Unzen, which killed at least 37 people on Kyushu Island. A fresh flow of lava, gas and debris erupted there Saturday, setting 73 homes on fire.; Nearly 10,000 people have left their homes at the foot of Mount Unzen, and two naval ships stood by to take residents farther away in case a new eruption sent lava, hot rocks and ash over a yet wider area.
Fifteen thousand military personnel at Clark Air Base, Philippine Islands, began to evacuate today due to the eruption of Mount Pinatubo. This order came in the wake of a Philippine government order for an evacuation of 11,000 people from 20 villages near the volcano. Following two moderate eruptions, a larger explosion is expected to follow. One Philippine official said that the volcano is spewing gas up to 1800 degrees, thick ash, boulders and rocks. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has issued its latest update on the status of volcanic activity around the world. It is its first eruption in 600 years.