The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the status of Mt. Kanlaon to ‘Alert Level 2’ following a spike in the number of earthquakes recorded at the volcano.

Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) head Zeaphard Caelian said Phivolcs raised the status at 9:45 a.m. yesterday after seismic monitoring resulted in 249 volcanic earthquakes within 24 hours, from the morning of November 14 through yesterday morning.

Caelian said, as of August of this year, volcanologists have been monitoring an increased number of volcanic quakes per day.

He stated, the various volcanic observatories surrounding Mt. Kanlaon did not spot any degassing or steaming from the crater, although the unrest could possibly trigger hazardous steam-driven, or phreatic, eruptions.

He also noted a possibility of the intrusion of magma underneath the volcano.

Residents living around the volcano were advised not to enter the four-kilometer permanent danger zone due to the volatility.

Caelian said the PDRRMO response cluster will meet today in order to review contingency plans and to ensure all response units are on alert.

He pointed out there is no need for evacuations yet, noting it usually only comes after an ‘Alert Level 3’ is raised.

Caelian explained, under ‘Alert Level 3,’ residents around the four to six-kilometer danger zone are evacuated; while an ‘Alert Level 4’ signifies an imminent major eruption prompting an evacuation of the designated 12-kilometer danger zone.

The highest, an ‘Alert Level 5,’ means residents living within a 16-kilometer danger zone should flee as a major eruption is currently taking place.

Caelian, meanwhile, assured residents there is no need to panic, adding there is a good chance the alert status will be lowered in the coming days as Phivolcs observatories surrounding the volcano have noted a decrease in the number of volcanic quakes since yesterday afternoon./DGB, WDJ