More than 5,000 families evacuated in Albay due to Mayon: Lagman
More than 5,000 families in Albay evacuated because of Mayon Volcano’s unrest, its governor said Thursday.
In a “Laging Handa” briefing, Albay Governor Edcel Greco Lagman said: “For now, we have 5,016 Albayano families that have evacuated. I was able to go around yesterday together with the President in a major evacuation center in Guinobatan and there are holes in there that have to be plugged in so to speak, because there are still problems that need to be addressed.
“The ventilation there is not that good. The power problem has been addressed. The basic issues that need to be addressed are water, sanitation, and hygiene,” he added.
Lagman said he and nine other mayors of affected local government units (LGUs), together with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. had a situation briefing on Wednesday regarding Mayon Volcano, which is under Alert Level Three.
“We agreed on a baseline duration of time by which we will bring the logistics. What the president wants is that instead of the 45-day period we have allotted for this particular contingency or response concerning the Mayon seismic activity, we will have 90 days. So we have to adjust accordingly to the president’s guidance on this matter,” he said.
Cabinet secretaries, including Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos, Jr. and Labor Secretary Bienvinido Laguesma were also present during the meeting.
Lagman said they discussed that the Department of National Defense would be the coordinating agency..
“What was clear in the situation was that the QRF (quick response fund) of the LGUs under state of calamity need not be spent in full because there will be more financial aid coming from the national government,” he said.
The DSWD has distributed 102,000 family food packs to the affected residents while the Department of Interior and Local Government has provided 55 tons of food items and is also getting assistance from the United Arab Emirates government.
Lagman said the government gave P40.3 million to the municipalities affected by the volcano’s unrest.
In its 8 am bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the Mayon Volcano Network recorded two volcanic earthquakes and 306 rockfall events.
Phivolcs said Alert Level 3 is maintained over Mayon Volcano, meaning “it is currently in a relatively high level of unrest as magma is at the crater and hazardous eruption is possible within weeks or even days”.
“Increased vigilance against pyroclastic density currents, lahars and sediment-laden streamflows along channels draining the edifice is also advised,” Phivolcs said.
“Heavy rainfall could generate channel-confined lahars and sediment-laden streamflows in channels where PDC deposits were emplaced,” it added.
Phivolcs also directed civil aviation authorities to advise pilots to avoid flying near Mayon Volcano’s summit as any sudden eruption could be dangerous to their aircraft.
“Based on the current prevailing wind pattern, ash fall events may most likely occur on the south side of the volcano,” it said.
According to a situation report by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), the number of affected individuals was 37,682 or 9,167 families.
A total of 17,941 persons were displaced, with 17,216 persons staying inside evacuation centers while 725 individuals are staying outside. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
