By JEN BAYLON
The Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) ordered a mandatory evacuation for remaining residents living within Kanlaon Volcano’s six-kilometer expanded danger zone (EDZ) over the weekend.
Evacuations have been conducted in local government units surrounding Kanlaon, such as Negros Occidental cities of Bago, San Carlos and La Carlota, as well as La Castellana town.
“We strongly urge everyone in these areas to evacuate immediately and follow the directives of the authorities. Your safety is the top priority,” OCD-6 said in an advisory.
“Stay alert, monitor updates from official channels, and cooperate fully with evacuation efforts. Do not delay,” it added.
The OCD-6 targets evacuating 100 percent of the total population inside the EDZ on Monday, December 16.
As of 10:00 a.m. yesterday, 81 percent of all residents — 3,328 families or 11,035 individuals — inside Kanlaon’s EDZ have been evacuated, OCD-6 said in a report.
These include 2,825 families or 9,328 individuals from five barangays in La Castellana; 721 families or 2,589 persons in La Carlota; and 92 families or 310 individuals in Bago.
There are 4,881 families, comprising 16,268 individuals, staying in 28 evacuation centers, the agency said.
In Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City, 1,243 families or 4,041 individuals are seeking shelter in evacuation centers.
On Saturday, December 14, animal and livestock evacuation was implemented, the La Castellana municipal government said.
Several farmers transported their animals using vehicles to safer grounds in Barangay Cabagna-an, municipal agricultural technologist Rio Dunque said.
The locality will utilize the open space at La Castellana Elementary School to accommodate livestock from the villages of Masulog and Cabagna-an.
La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said livestock in Barangays Masulog, Biak na Bato, Cabagnaan, Sag-ang, and Nato were evacuated by their owners to the town proper.
The municipal government also implemented road closures in some villages.
On Friday, December 13, Negros Occidental was officially under a state of calamity following Kanlaon’s magmatic eruption on December 9.
The declaration seeks the immediate release of calamity funds to facilitate emergency response efforts and provide assistance to affected families.
A price freeze on essential goods and prime commodities has been implemented to prevent price gouging.
Kanlaon’s eruption last week prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to raise Alert Level 3 over the volcano, indicating “a magmatic eruption may progress to further explosive eruptions.”
It continues to display “high seismic activities,” recording two ash emission events and 31 volcanic earthquakes.
No face-to-face classes
Meanwhile, six public schools in Bago will shift to modular learning starting Monday, in light of the possible recent Kanlaon volcanic eruption.
Classes in 10 schools in La Carlota are also suspended until January 3, 2025, based on an executive order of Mayor Rex Jalando-on.
These schools are located within the EDZ, and are being utilized as evacuation centers.
The city government encourages school personnel to implement alternative delivery modes.
Lahar flow
Phivolcs issued a lahar flow hazard map indicating areas that may be affected by potential lahars from Kanlaon, endangering 644,487 residents across 13 cities and municipalities.
The lahar hazard map identifies areas that are “least to moderately” and “highly” prone to lahars.
Residents in these areas are encouraged to prepare for potential evacuations and stay informed about weather conditions that could exacerbate the situation.
Phivolcs said three million metric tons of ash deposits from Kanlaon’s recent eruption were “three times greater” than the one million metric tons emitted during its phreatic eruption on June 3.
With a possible low pressure area expected to bring rainfall in a few days, the risk of ash fall-induced lahar flows has significantly increased, Phivolcs said./JB, WDJ