Ashfall

Less than two full weeks into a new decade, the active volcano in the middle of a lake (itself caused by past volcanic eruptions) not far from the main city started spewing ash. It was a weekend, and many locals and tourists were in the city of Tagaytay when they saw smoke rising from Taal's crater. 

By early morning the next day, ashfall spread as far north as the central business district, and schools were called off for a few days. 

When students returned they were required to wear masks to protect from ash inhalation. Earthquake and fire drills were modified to include ashfall scenarios. N95 masks were added to Go bags and first aid kits. 

While it was safe by the end of the second week to walk around the metro and swimming pools cleaned up and reopened, most of us still kept stock of the masks, adding to the N95 variant the standard surgical masks sold at pharmacies because there was a new danger of a spreading coronavirus.