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Philippines
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Taal shows signs of eruption; 15,000 flee; alert level 3 stays

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Taal Volcano emitted its highest levels of sulfur dioxide and posted a series of strong quakes in signs of another eruption on Sunday, as thousands of residents of Batangas province evacuated its environs, the governor said.

HELP AT TAAL. Red Cross staff and volunteers check on residents living near the Taal Volcano at the San Gregorio Elementary School evacuation center on Sunday. PRC Photo

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Taal’s S02 missions at 22,628 tons a day were "anomalously high" as the volcano recorded 26 strong and very shallow low-frequency volcanic earthquakes on its eastern sector, with some of the quakes reportedly accompanied by rumbling.

It also shot steam-rich plumes that rose as much as 2,500 meters high, signaling another eruption similar to what happened last Thursday, the state seismology agency said.

Alert Level 3 prevailed over the volcano as Phivolcs warned the public of a possible volcanic tsunami should strong eruptions occur.

The entire Taal Volcano Island is still a permanent danger zone, and that entry into the island and high-risks villages of Agoncillo and Laurel towns in Batangas must be prohibited due to the hazards of pyroclastic density currents and tsunami, the agency said.

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But this early, some 15,000 residents of Batangas have fled their homes following the phreatomagmatic eruptions, Governor Hermilando Mandanas said Sunday.

“We're monitoring the evacuees. There's social distancing and they're wearing masks. We give them masks if they have none. We know we can't avoid them being close to each other. We give them food. So, we're also preparing vaccines,” he said.

The province has received more than 8,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Metro Manila mayors for the evacuees, Mandanas said. The health department also assured it would send additional COVID-19 vaccines and test kits.

Local officials are setting up additional inoculation sites for Taal evacuees in Laurel and Agoncillo, he added.

“Everyone is a priority. When they arrive there, everyone around them is also exposed because COVID can get easily transmitted and right now we have a problem in observing social distancing,” Mandanas added.

Family tents are being utilized in some isolation facilities and schools, which now temporarily serve as evacuation centers, the governor said.

The evacuated residents include those from five villages inside the 7-kilometer danger zone—Barangays Bilibinwang and Banyaga in Agoncillo, and Barangays Bugaan East, Buso-buso and Gulod in Laurel—that have been placed under lockdown, said Batangas Police Director Glicerio Cansilao.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said possible eruption could face the direction of Agoncillo and Laurel. The potential explosion is not facing the direction of Tagaytay City, the tourist haven in Cavite, he added.

Travelers may still visit Tagaytay, but Solidum cautioned them to always wear a face mask.

“The volcano has not had a strong eruption yet. The eruption does not seem to be toward Tagaytay. There's no danger there. Just monitor the wind’s direction or if it's safe to travel. There's no problem. Just always bring face masks,” Solidum said.

Phivolcs earlier said that volcanic smog is a kind of air pollution due to volcanic gas. Because the particles are acidic, vog could irritate a person’s eyes, throat, and respiratory tract “depending on the gas concentrations and durations of exposure.”

Phivolcs earlier said it reported 3 short phreatomagmatic explosions, 48 volcanic earthquakes, based on its 24-hour monitoring.

On Thursday, the volcano roared to life with a "short-lived dark phreatomagmatic plume" that rose a kilometer into the air.

Taal's last eruption in January 2020 shot ash 15 kilometers high and spewed red-hot lava, crushing scores of homes, killing livestock, and sending over 135,000 people into shelters.

All activities on Taal Lake should not be allowed at this time, Phivolcs reminded.

“Communities around the Taal Lake shores are advised to remain vigilant, take precautionary measures against possible airborne ash and vog (volcanic smog) and calmly prepare for possible evacuation should unrest intensify,” the advisory read.

Local government units were likewise advised to conduct health checks on communities affected by vog to assess the severity of SO2 impacts on their constituents and to consider temporary evacuation of severely exposed residents to safer areas.

Civil aviation authorities must advise pilots to avoid flying over Taal Volcano Island as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions and pyroclastic density currents such as base surges may pose hazards to aircraft.

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