BACOLOD City – Residents of La Castellana, Negros Occidental are ready to evacuate in case a major eruption of the Kanlaon volcano occurs.
But getting to the evacuation centers might be a problem, Mayor Rhumyla Mangilimutan said.
Kanlaon remains under Alert Level II. Ground swelling and inflation continues beneath the volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Phivolcs has also monitored various volcanic hazards, including lava flows, pyroclastic density currents, ash fall, volcanic gases, flank or lateral eruption, and debris avalanche or sector collapse.
The local government of La Castellana and several schools have signed a memorandum of understanding with regard to the use of the latter as evacuation centers, Mangilimutan said.
But there are not enough vehicles that could transport the evacuees to the centers from their homes, she said.
Still, Mangilimutan assured that her constituents are resilient and prepared.
Community-based disaster preparedness groups and volunteers are equipped with handheld radios that will allow for easier dissemination of information, the mayor said.
Mangilimutan is also confident that they are getting reliable, firsthand information with regard to the status of Kanlaon.
“One of my relatives is working there (at Phivolcs), so we are the first to know about what is happening,” she said.
The mayor said she got an assurance from Phivolcs that the situation at Kanlaon is not yet very serious./PN
