Lava from Mayon Volcano flowed down its south and southeast gullies to about one kilometer from the crater as scientists warned Tuesday the volcano can remain restive for “a few months.”
Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said Mayon could continue rumbling for months, forcing residents who had been moved to evacuation centers to stay there for an extended period of time.
“Unless we lower the alert level, we are left with no option but to have those within the permanent danger zone to remain at the evacuation centers,” he said.
“What we are seeing right now, it’s following the template of the 2014 eruption, which was a quiet eruption, effusive eruption. Based on our previous experiences, this activity may persist for a few months,” Bacolcol added.
The Albay provincial government said it is ready should evacuation reach 90 days.
Eugene Escobar, officer-in-charge of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, told the news station ANC that in the past, the longest evacuation period lasted five months.
“We were able to sustain that not alone, but with the help of the national government and then many of the international organizations that came in. It was a concerted effort,” Escobar said.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda called for “patience and stamina” from national government agencies extending disaster relief and evacuation support to those affected by recent Mayon Volcano activity, as “evacuation efforts and the wait for an actual eruption could take weeks or months.”
“Historically, the scenarios are 45, 90, or 110 days. It could, of course, get even longer than that. This will be a waiting game. Until an explosive eruption happens, or the alert level goes down, we can’t really do much other than evacuate and wait,” Salceda, chair of the House committee on ways and means, said.
“So, this will really require stamina and patience. I am sure President Marcos and the national government will have the patience to see this through. But the economic disruption will also be significant,” Salceda added.
Some 5,000 farmers are already affected by ongoing evacuation efforts and volcanic activity.
On Tuesday, Phivolcs said it detected one dome collapse pyroclastic density current (PDC) that lasted two minutes.
In the past 24 hours, Mayon Volcano had one volcanic earthquake and 221 rockfall events, based on Phivolcs’ seismic and visual observations.
Thin ash from rockfalls was observed as well as continuous moderate degassing from the summit crater, which produced steam-laden plumes that bent and crept downslope before drifting northeast.
Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Mayon Volcano Observatory, Paul Alanis, said there was no reason as yet to raise the alert level from 3.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the number of families affected by the unrest in Mayon has now reached 3,876 or about 13,811 people living in 21 barangays in the Bicol region.
Of this number, 3,701 families or 13,179 individuals are being sheltered in 21 evacuation while the remainder have sought shelter with relatives and friends.
Some P25.6 million worth of assistance was provided to the Bicol Region, including food packs, water, family tents, hot meals, and hygiene kits.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) thanked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the more than 50 tons of humanitarian aid it has provided for families affected by Mayon Volcano’s unrest.
DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. extended President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s gratitude to the UAE government for their help.
The more than 50 tons of relief goods were flown via chartered flight courtesy of the UAE government.
Albay Gov. Edcel Greco Lagman on Tuesday called on residents to wear N95 masks to keep themselves safe from the effects of the ashfall brought about by Mayon Volcano’s activities.
Interviewed on Unang Balita, the governor said that Albay is in need of supply of N95 masks as five out of the nine municipalities required to evacuate have already reported ashfall.
Sulfur dioxide content in the air can cause or exacerbate respiratory illnesses like asthma and bronchitis.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian said on Tuesday that the government is mulling over providing financial assistance to the thousands of families in various evacuation centers in Albay.
In a press briefing in the Palace, Gatchalian said the administration is considering the possible distribution of financial aid to the families in evacuation centers in the province, on top of the family food packs already provided by the local and national governments.
Employing the whole-of-government approach, Gatchalian said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is constantly monitoring the situation on the ground to make sure that the evacuees have sufficient food provisions.
“The President is monitoring the situation carefully. We’ve been in constant communication since last week, on a daily or hourly basis, about his directives on making sure that all the evacuees have food,” he said.
“We know that the establishment of evacuation centers are the responsibilities of the local government units. The DSWD will provide them with the necessary logistical support,” Gatchalian said.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said they sent a team to the evacuation areas which have experienced overcrowding.
“Because when there are more people there, toilets are needed,” he said.
Gatchalian also said he talked with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Saturday for the deployment of personnel from the Office of Civil Defense to address the lack of potable water in the area.