The state weather bureau warned residents near the Mayon Volcano of possible lahar flows as the Bicol region may experience three to four days of rain as the Office of the Civil Defense forecast the number of displaced individuals is expected to increase as the volcano continues to show heightened activity.
PHIVOLCS also reported an ongoing dome collapse pyroclastic density current at the Mayon Volcano Wednesday evening, with 131 rockfall events recorded in the past 24 hours.
“At times, there will be heavy rains, especially in the afternoon until the evening. So, there is a threat of lahar within the areas of the volcano,” PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said.
After the government raised the Mayon Volcano alert to Level 3, some 964 families or 3,515 individuals residing within the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone have been evacuated.
The Interior department also alerted those residing within a 7 to 8-km radius to be prepared for possible evacuation in the event of progressive volcanic activity.
PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol said the sharp increase in rockfall events indicated increasing instability at the volcano’s summit, which is commonly associated with magma rising from below.
“There is lava dome growth. This is the thick and viscous lava at the top of the volcano and it collects there, so the lava dome grows,” he said.
Bacolcol said the volcano’s signals are like what were observed in 2023, except that there are signs of swelling or ground deformation now.
“This means there is material that is forcing itself – rising and swelling. This is a signal that there is pressurization in the volcano. If this will follow the 2023 template, this would be longer than the 2023 event because there is magma,” he added.
The Albay Provincial Health Office has already declared a Code White Alert as part of coordinated health emergency readiness, while the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council–Emergency Operations Center has been placed on Red Alert status.
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian has ordered the release of additional 100,000 family food packs (FFPs) to the Bicol Region for Albay residents affected by Mayon Volcano’s restiveness.
“The DSWD is on alert due to the threat of the Mayon volcano. In fact, we have prepositioned goods in over 111,000 family food packs, over 16,500 of our ready-to-eat food (RTEF) boxes, and over 15,000 non-food items that are prepositioned in our warehouses at Field Office 5,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) said in a radio interview.
