THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has recorded 106 volcanic earthquakes at Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon after its phreatic or steam-driven eruption last Sunday.
The earthquakes, including 48 volcanic tremors that lasted for 20 minutes, were recorded from 5 a.m. Sunday to 5 a.m yesterday, Phivolcs said in its 24-hour observation report.
Phivolcs said the plumes, which drifted west-northwest, reached about 500 meters.
The volcano remains under Alert Level 1 (low-level unrest). The volcano’s alert was raised to Alert Level 1 from Alert Level 0 (normal) on June 5 after its first steam-driven eruption.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said it is possible Bulusan Volcano will have another phreatic eruption.
“That is its character, those phreatic eruption episodes… We should be vigilant against the possibility of another eruption,” said Solidum.
“With continuing hydrothermal activity or boiling of water beneath the volcano, the possibility of having another phreatic eruption would be there,” he added.
Solidum said the pressure from the steam usually causes phreatic eruptions. “They can be days or weeks in between,” he said, adding last Sunday’s eruption was “more energetic” than that on June 5.
“It’s (latest eruption) stronger in terms of the amount of material or steam that came out,” said Solidum.
Phivolcs said some 17 barangays in Casiguran, Juban and Magallanes town in Sorsogon were affected by ashfall. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said the latest eruption displaced 103 families or 403 individuals.
Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero said 32 barangays in five towns were affected by ashfall.
However, he said only two of these barangays were “majorly hit by heavy ashfall.”
“Only two barangays, out of 541, were (severely) hit so there is no reason to panic or concerned. In fact, we expect to decamp already the evacuation centers within the day… I think they (evacuation centers) only have about 337 evacuees,” said Escudero.
“There was no need to evacuate the rest because as I said, of the 32 barangays that experienced ashfall, only two barangays actually experienced heavy ashfall that necessitated cleaning by the provincial and the national government,” he added.
Escudero said authorities started ash-clearing operation shortly after the eruption, and this may be completed in a day or two.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said at least 145 families or 469 persons are staying in three evacuations centers in Sorsogon.
DSWD spokeswoman Director Irene Dumlao also said based on the monitoring of the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center, 9,793 families or 40,099 people were affected by the eruption but only 145 families or 469 persons were displaced and brought to evacuation centers.
The DSWD has distributed about P504,915 worth of assistance consisting of family food packs and non-food relief items to the affected families. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
