A total of 2,889 individuals or 729 families have been evacuated from their homes due to the activity of Mayon Volcano in Albay, Governor Noel Rosal said on Wednesday.
“‘Yung ating 729 families, accounted natin ‘yan, representing 2,889 individuals from four municipalities and two cities,” Rosal said in an interview.
“So far, normal naman ang sitwasyon, kailangan lang talaga ilikas ‘yung mga nasa six-kilometer permanent danger zone,” he added.
Rosal said that relief and basic needs of evacuees can be sustained even if evacuations last for months.
“Maganda naman ang coordination natin. Mauna muna ‘yung LGU, then papasok ‘yung probinsya, then nandiyan na ‘yung national government through the DSWD, the DPWH, and other national government agencies,” he said.
According to the governor, resettlement programs have already reduced the number of residents living within the danger zone in Legazpi, Daraga, Guinobatan, and Ligao from nearly 9,000 people in previous years to less than 3,000 now.
Health and sanitation measures are also in place in evacuation centers.
On water and sanitation concerns, Rosal said contingency measures are ready, including the deployment of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the installation of large water containers and sanitation facilities in evacuation centers.
The Albay Provincial Health Office has declared a Code White Alert.
“All provincial, district, and municipal hospitals, as well as rural and city health units and DRRM-H managers, are directed to remain on heightened alert, ensure preparedness, and submit necessary reports as part of coordinated health emergency readiness,” the health office said.
Alert Level 3 was raised over Mayon Volcano in Albay on Tuesday after pyroclastic density currents (PDC) or “uson” were recorded, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said.
