The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is working with local government units (LGUs) near Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island to develop evacuation strategies in anticipation of a possible escalation in the volcano’s alert level.
During a recent visit to Negros Occidental, OCD Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno emphasized the agency’s preparations for a potential increase in Mt. Kanlaon’s alert status from the current Alert Level 3 to Level 4. Such an escalation would require the evacuation of an additional 100,000 residents within the expanded 10-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).
On Friday, OCD-Negros Island Region (NIR) Director Donato Sermeno III announced that the Regional Incident Management Team is collecting data from the affected LGUs as part of the planning process.
“Right now, one of the things we are thoroughly working on is the evacuation plan of every LGU. The contingency plan is different,” he told reporters.
Sermeno added that Undersecretary Nepomuceno stressed the need for clear and detailed protocols for affected individuals. These include identifying designated evacuation sites during a major eruption and specifying the vehicles that will transport evacuees from collection points.
Currently, more than 1,700 families whose homes are within the six-kilometer PDZ are staying in 13 evacuation centers, mostly located in La Castellana town, as well as in the cities of La Carlota and Bago.
In addition to these three LGUs, San Carlos City has expressed interest in establishing a relocation or resettlement site for residents of Barangay Codcod.
Meanwhile, La Carlota City must identify alternative sites, as the initially proposed locations in the villages of Haguimit, San Miguel, and La Granja are in areas vulnerable to pyroclastic density currents in the event of a more intense eruption.
La Castellana has designated resettlement sites in the villages of Talaptap and Lalagsan, both of which meet the necessary safety parameters. Bago City has identified a relocation site near the coastline but is prepared to look for an alternative if needed.