Around 87,000 residents in the areas surrounding Mount Kanlaon, which erupted Monday afternoon, were evacuated, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.
Evacuation centers were established in 11 barangays in Negros Occidental:
- Barangay Lag-asan, Bago City, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Tabao, Sagay City, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Rizal, San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
- Barrio Vista Alegre, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Hilamonan, Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Sibucao, San Enrique, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Ill, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Taculing, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental
- Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental
- Barangay Cubay, La Carlota, Negros Occidental
- Sitio Canlayuhan, Barangay Gil Montilla, Sipalay City, Negros Occidental
“The gravity of the situation is particularly acute in La Castellana, where an estimated 46,900 individuals are within the 4-6 km danger zone. Authorities are focusing on Barangay Sag-ang due to prevailing westward wind directions, which pose additional risks from ashfall,” the OCD said in a statement.
“In preparation for the worst-case scenario, Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City has been designated as the primary evacuation center, with the capacity to accommodate up to 30,000 evacuees,” the agency also said.
Kanlaon erupted at 3:03 p.m. which produced a voluminous plume that rose to 3,000 meters above the vent and drifted west-southwest.
The explosive eruption prompted the PHIVOLCS to raise the status to Alert Level 3, which indicates magmatic unrest.
Ashfall
The eruption caused ash to fall in various areas near the volcano.
“Guimaras has also been affected by ashfall, and Bago City has recorded ashfall and sulfur odors in several barangays, prompting ongoing evacuation efforts. The anticipated needs in Bago City include face masks and additional support for evacuees,” the OCD.
“In San Carlos, while no evacuation has been initiated yet, La Carlota City has experienced sulfur odors and minor ashfall.”
The OCD said that it will deploy 2,100 face masks and 1,000 family hygiene kits to Bacolod City.
DSWD Assistance
In another statement, the Department of Social Welfare and Development has already deployed over 1.4 million boxes of family food packs to Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and nearby regions.
“In Western Visayas, we have more than Php57 million worth of non-food items and Php217,604 worth of other food items. We also have Php41 million worth of non-food items and Php1.64 million worth of other food items in Central Visayas,” said DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian. — BAP, GMA Integrated News
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