The number of evacuees is expected to increase following Kanlaon Volcano’s explosive eruption on Tuesday morning, April 8, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.
“There are 2,000 families in 22 evacuation centers,” OCD spokesperson Chris Noel Bendijo said in a radio interview yesterday.
“This could increase because the ashfall is really intense due to the eruption, reaching 4,000 meters or four kilometers [from the volcano],” Bendijo added.
The OCD is monitoring residents in nearby areas in Negros Occidental cities of Bago, La Carlota and San Carlos, as well as La Castellana town following the eruption.
OCD in Western Visayas Director Raul Fernandez expects the number of evacuees may spike again.
“We are ready. In fact, apart from the more than 100,000 family food packs [FFPs] in Negros Island, we have over 2.5 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in other warehouses across the country, which we can tap anytime for our relief response,” Fernandez said.
He said local government units in Negros Occidental have been “responding well and have dispatched water filtration units and water trucks” for their affected residents after the explosive eruption.
The OCD said it is already preparing should the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) hoist Alert Level 4 at Kanlaon.
As of Tuesday, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Western Visayas indicated that 7,900 families, composed of 24,891 individuals, in Negros Occidental have been affected by the eruption.
“There are around 3,700 families that have already evacuated and are staying at relatives’ homes for now,” the DSWD said.
The agency prepared more than P157 million in assistance for affected families, including 147,701 FFPs and 27,864 non-food items.
The DSWD has also distributed more than P81 million in assistance to seven towns and cities in the province.
Local authorities have provided more than P11 million in aid, with an additional P14 million coming from non-government organizations and other stakeholders.
In Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City, a total of 838 families, or 2,643 individuals, sought shelter at eight evacuation centers due to the volcanic eruption.
OCD-7 Regional Director Joel Erestain said the number of evacuees was reduced because they decided to live with their relatives outside Kanlaon’s six-kilometer radius or nearby towns and cities.
Meanwhile, Phivolcs reiterated its recommendation for evacuation within the six-kilometer radius from the volcano’s summit.
“We advise the public to stay vigilant and not be complacent as Kanlaon’s magmatic unrest continues. Our recommendation is still evacuation from the six-kilometer radius from the volcano summit to avoid potential danger from possible similar events like explosive eruptions that could happen anytime,” Phivolcs research specialist Pearly Sianson said.
“Stay indoors and always wear a mask. If you don’t have a face mask, use a damp cloth to avoid inhaling ash from the volcano,” she added.
Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3, indicating magmatic unrest that could generate similar ash emissions and short-lived explosive eruptions in the short term, posing life-threatening volcanic hazards.
The recent eruption — the third in a series of volcanic events since last year — was comparable to the explosive eruption on December 9, 2024, Phivolcs said. / With reports from GMA Integrated News, Jen Baylon / WDJ