ALL individuals inside the six-kilometer danger zone at the restive Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island should be evacuated within a week, the Office of Civil Defense-Western Visayas said yesterday.
Maria Christina Mayor, spokesperson of COD-Western Visayas, said they are working “double time” to meet the deadline set by Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr, chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
“The target (timeline) given to us by the SND (secretary of national defense) is one week, one week from yesterday (Wednesday),” she said adding it is “very doable if everyone will cooperate.”
She said the OCD and local government authorities are encouraging the people, especially in Negros Oriental, to move as many of them have refused to evacuate.
Citing figures from the Department of Social Welfare and Development as of 6 a.m. yesterday, Mayor said 4,630 families or 15,334 individuals are housed in 26 evacuation centers, while 677 other families (2,522 individuals) have evacuated but are staying with their relatives and friends.
Officials began evacuating residents last Monday after Kanlaon’s “explosive eruption,” the second for this year. The Monday eruption prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to raise Alert Level 3 (which means magmatic unrest), from Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest).
The next alert, Level 4, means hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days. Phivolcs on Tuesday warned of a hazardous eruption in the coming weeks.
“Based on the prediction of Phivolcs, there’s a threat of another eruption, more violent eruption,” said Mayor.
Officials earlier said that if the situation will worsen, Alert Level 4 will be raised.
Under the scenario, the danger zone will be extended to 10 kilometers and 139,000 individuals will have to be evacuated.
Mayor said people refusing to evacuate is “one of the challenges” they are trying to address.
“We are seeking guidance from the (OCD) central office. We can’t force them (to evacuate), force them out of their homes,” said Mayor adding the best they can do at the moment is inform them of the dangers in staying inside the danger zone.
On Wednesday, OCD deputy administrator Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV told a briefing in Camp Aguinaldo that the target was to evacuate about 84,500 persons or close to 17,000 families, and about 46 percent have been evacuated.
ASSISTANCE
Humanitarian aid to communities affected by Kanlaon’s eruption has gone up to P8.27 million as over 5,000 families have been displaced by the event.
Data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Disaster Response Operations Management, Information, and Communication showed that of the P8.27 million worth of food and non-food relief items distributed, P6.73 million came from the agency, P1 million from local government units (LGUs), and P500,000 from non-government organizations (NGOs).
Social Welfare Assistant Secretary and spokeswoman Irene Dumlao, in a briefing at the DSWD main office in Quezon City, said 11,791 families or 40,489 persons from 25 barangays in Regions VI (Western Visayas) and VII (Central Visayas) were affected by the eruption, including the 5,307 families or 17,856 persons who were displaced.
Of those displaced, 4,630 families or 15,334 persons are taking temporary shelter in 26 evacuation centers in Regions VI and VII while 677 families or 2,522 persons are temporarily staying with their relatives or friends.
The DSWD still has more than P2.09 billion worth of cash (P92.03 million) and stockpiles of food and non-food items (P1.107 million) on standby.
Dumlao said in Regions VI and VII, the agency has 81,542 family food packs and 16,122 non-food items such as hygiene and sleeping kits available which the DSWD would augment when needed.
DSWD said it still has P2.099 billion worth of funds (P94.366 million) and stockpile of food and non-food packs (P2.005 billion) on standby. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
