LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – The Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) has ordered municipal and city governments to evacuate residents inside the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) of Mayon Volcano after the alert level was further raised from two to three (increased tendency towards major eruption) on Thursday, June 8.
ERICKSON Balderama, a photographer from Santo Domingo town in Albay province, takes a long exposure photo of Mayon Volcano’s glowing crater at 4:40 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, using an 800mm telephoto lens. (Photo via Nino Luces) Eugene Escobar, APSEMO research division chief, said that the evacuation of 2,640 families or 10,578 individuals living inside the PDZ starts on Friday morning, June 9. "We will do it systematically. It is safe to say that we still have enough time to do the evacuation tomorrow," Escobar said on Thursday. The APSEMO said 89 individuals need to be evacuated in the PDZ in Camalig. In Daraga, 336 individuals will be evacuated from Barangays Matnog and Salvacion. Ligao City has 132 individuals from Barangay Baligang; 1,866 families or 7,226 individuals in Barangays Calbayog, Canaway, and San Roque in Malilipot and 378 families or 1,434 individuals from Barangays Magapo, Mariroc, and Buang in Tabaco City. These evacuees will be brought to evacuation centers identified by the LGUs. Classes on all levels were suspended in barangays in the PDZ. Escobar said they are ready to evacuate residents living in a seven-km PDZ if the alert level will be stretched to four. "Worst case that means Alert Level 4, we will extend the evacuation to the seven-kilometer danger zone. That would be additional 4,416 families or 16,298 individuals," Escobar said. Meanwhile, during the Emergency Meeting Preparedness and Response meeting of the Albay PDRRMC on Thursday, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) resident volcanologist Dr. Paul Alanis said that Mayon may have a major eruption like in 2018 or a small phreatic eruption similar to 2014.
ERICKSON Balderama, a photographer from Santo Domingo town in Albay province, takes a long exposure photo of Mayon Volcano’s glowing crater at 4:40 a.m. on Tuesday, June 6, using an 800mm telephoto lens. (Photo via Nino Luces) Eugene Escobar, APSEMO research division chief, said that the evacuation of 2,640 families or 10,578 individuals living inside the PDZ starts on Friday morning, June 9. "We will do it systematically. It is safe to say that we still have enough time to do the evacuation tomorrow," Escobar said on Thursday. The APSEMO said 89 individuals need to be evacuated in the PDZ in Camalig. In Daraga, 336 individuals will be evacuated from Barangays Matnog and Salvacion. Ligao City has 132 individuals from Barangay Baligang; 1,866 families or 7,226 individuals in Barangays Calbayog, Canaway, and San Roque in Malilipot and 378 families or 1,434 individuals from Barangays Magapo, Mariroc, and Buang in Tabaco City. These evacuees will be brought to evacuation centers identified by the LGUs. Classes on all levels were suspended in barangays in the PDZ. Escobar said they are ready to evacuate residents living in a seven-km PDZ if the alert level will be stretched to four. "Worst case that means Alert Level 4, we will extend the evacuation to the seven-kilometer danger zone. That would be additional 4,416 families or 16,298 individuals," Escobar said. Meanwhile, during the Emergency Meeting Preparedness and Response meeting of the Albay PDRRMC on Thursday, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) resident volcanologist Dr. Paul Alanis said that Mayon may have a major eruption like in 2018 or a small phreatic eruption similar to 2014.