President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Wednesday oversaw the distribution of foodstuffs and other basic necessities in various evacuation centers in Legaspi City.

Later, Albay Governor Joey Salceda, chairman of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, told the President that the number of solders and policemen patrolling the area around Mayon Volcano have been doubled to ensure that everybody is moved to safer grounds and nobody is allowed to go within the danger zone.

For their part, officials of Philvolcs told the President the volcano could erupt any time.

In a media briefing in Malacanang earlier, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed that 9,880 families had been moved to temporary shelters after the volcano showed signs of imminent eruption.

The families, composed of 47,137 individuals, are now housed in 26 school and other government buildings in the cities of Legaspi and Tabaco and in the towns of Maliliput, Camalig, and Guinobatan.

The President had flown in from Hong Kong, where she spent three days for a much needed rest with her family.

It has always been the President’s practice, Ermita said, to go directly to disaster and calamity areas from a trip abroad.

“She is one President I know, who after landing goes to the hangar of the airport and fly to any place in the Philippines, where her presence is needed,” Ermita said.

As of 6 p.m. yesterday, Ermita said, PHIVOLCS had hoisted Alert Level 4, which means the volcano could erupt within days.

According to Ermita, school authorities have been advised to devise ways to enable students in evacuation centers to hold regular classes as soon as possible.

So far, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) has released 10,200 sacks of rice worth P9.37 million, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and RDCC have given away three truckloads of relief goods worth P2.1 million.

There is also a P500,000 standby fund for the purchase of additional relief goods if needed.

Also, the UNICEF donated 20 trailers of water jugs for the affected residents around the volcano.

The Executive secretary said the NDCC, RDCC, and other local government officials, along with private organizations, have made the necessary preparations to achieve zero-casualty, in pursuant to a policy formulated at President Arroyo’s insistence.

Before leaving for Hong Kong a few days ago, the President met with disaster control officials and ordered them to strictly implement the Extended Danger Zone (EDZ).

The EDZ consists of eight kilometers on the southern part and seven kilometers on northern part of the volcano’s summit. Nobody is allowed to go within that radius. (PNA)
LDV/OPS/ssc

Scenic Mayon Volcano continues to send booming sounds and columns of ashes as high as 1000 meters across villages surrounding the mountain, but the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) clarified alert level 4 remains hoisted over the area.

This means a hazardous eruption is possible within days, the Phivolcs said in a bulletin.

Phivolcs on Sunday raised the alert level at Mayon to “4,” meaning “Intense unrest” characterized by persistent tremors, low-frequency quakes and intense crater glow.

Alert Level 5, or “Hazardous eruption ongoing,” involves pyroclastic flows, tall eruption columns and extensive ashfall.

Under Alert Level 5, there is danger to aircraft by way of ash cloud encounter, depending on the height of eruption column and/or wind drift.

Mayon showed an intense level of activity during the past 24-hour observation period with 1,051 volcanic earthquakes and continuous harmonic tremors recorded.

Sixty six (66) ash explosions were observed during times of good visibility. These explosions produced grayish to light brown ash columns that reached height from 100 to 1000 meters above the summit before drifting towards southwest.

The Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) emission rate remained very high and was measured at an average of 6,737 tons per day (t/d) on Tuesday.

Two hundred eighty (280) audible booming and rumbling sounds were intermittently heard for the past 24 hours. Red hot lava also continuously flowed down along the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi and Lidong gullies.

The Phivolcs-Department of Science and Technology (DOST) reiterated that the Extended Danger Zone (EDZ) from the summit of eight kilometers on the southern sector of the volcano and seven-km on the northern sector should be free from human activity.

Areas just outside of this EDZ should prepare for evacuation in the event hazardous explosive eruptions intensify, it said.

Amid bad weather, the Phivolcs warned residents particularly those living along river channels and those perennially identified as lahar prone in the southern sector against coming back home to check on their houses due to danger of flashfloods and sudden lahar flow.

PHIVOLCS–DOST is closely monitoring Mayon Volcano’s activity and any new significant development will be immediately posted to all concerned, it said. (PNA)
LAP/MPC/utb

Mayon Volcano is gearing up for an explosive hazardous eruption as it rumbles and belches series of lava fountains that shoot up the sky as high as 200 meters from its summit.

The booming and rumbling sounds as well as the belching of lava into the sky on Sunday evening signified that magma has now reached the volcano’s vent, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvocs).

Philvocs chief Renato Solidum said that the booming and rumbling sounds heard on Sunday evening at the institute Lignon Hill observatory was followed by lava fountains shooting up the sky.

Solidum at a joint National Disaster Coordinating Council and Regional and Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC/PDCC) meeting on Monday said the presence of rumbling and booming sounds, accompanied by lava fountaining, were an indication that the volcano was gearing up for an explosive hazardous eruption.

He said at least 111 booming and rumbling sounds were recorded and heard in the eastern flank of the volcano at about 2:55 p.m., then occasionally occurred beginning 11 p.m. Sunday night.

Phivolcs said the volcano’s seismic activity dramatically increased in number and size after 1,942 volcanic earthquakes jolted the volcano the past 24 hours.

Solidum said many of these volcanic earthquakes were recorded at maximum deflection.

The volcano emits sulfur dioxide (SO2) at a high rate of 6,089 tons per day (t/d).

Its crater intensely glows while incandescent lava fragments persistently roll down the volcano’s slopes.

The volcano oozes out red hot lava that continuously cascades down slopes along the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi and Lidong gullies.

State volcanologists said the lava front had now reached about five kilometers downslope from the summit along the Bonga-Buyuan gullies.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales was so impressed on how the Albay provincial disaster coordinating council (PDCC) handled the disaster situation, saying that the Albay experience would be made a “model” for disaster response in the country.

Gonzales personally donated P1 million in cash as assistance, specifically for children in various evacuation camps in the five towns and three cities in Albay.

“I have seen this children in the evacuation centers and I want them to be laughing and be happy this Christmas,” he said.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, at the joint meeting, said that to strictly enforce the “no man’s land” rule in the designated danger zone, military and police were instructed to double the personnel manning the nine checkpoints and double up their foot patrol operation inside the restricted area.

Salceda said that as of 4 p.m. Sunday, 9,217 families or 44,394 people were housed in 30 evacuation camps in the towns of Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Daraga, Camalig, Guinobatan and the cities of Legazpi, Ligao and Tabaco.

He said in a worst case scenario, once the volcano erupts with might and alert level is raised to 5, another 16,000 families have to be evacuated from villagers living in the nine to 10 kilometer radius of the volcano, bringing to a total of 120,000 people to be placed in safer grounds.

Salceda said the provincial government would need P140 million funds to sustain thousands of evacuees for 47 days, and P332 million to maintain it for 92 days.

Citing financial impacts during the past three eruptions, he said that in the 2000 eruption, the government spent some P204 million; followed by 2003 with P305 million; and in 2006, P505 million for disaster operation.

Health authorities, meanwhile, urged disaster council to decongest the present evacuation centers as this might be a breeding hub for illnesses.

They recommended that authorities should follow the World Health Organization (WHO) evacuation standard of one classroom to 20 persons ratio.

Health authorities said diseases surveillance indicated that the leading causes of consultation included cough and colds with 55 cases; Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) with 31 cases; fever with 25; Headache with 23; Hypertension with 12 cases; toothache – 11 cases and wounds with 10 cases.

Salceda said to address the overcrowding problem in various evacuation camps, the province needs 600 tents that would decongest the existing classrooms used as evacuation centers, specifically by January when classes resume.

The Department of Health (DOH) provided P3 million funds for additional toilets in evacuation centers, but Salceda proposed that the funds be used to purchase portable toilets.

Alert Level 4 remains hoisted over Mayon Volcano, meaning a hazardous eruption is possible within days. (PNA)
DCT/RMA/LQ/MSA/cbd

The Philippine Army and the Albay provincial Health Emergency Response jointly evacuated all the sick and disabled persons living within the 6-8 kilometer Danger Zones of Mayon Volcano.

Capt. Razaleigh G. Bansawan, 901 Brigade and Task Force Mayon spokesman, said that teams of soldiers and medical teams of Albay Health Emergency Management headed by Dr. Eric Raborar, two military vehicles and two ambulances were sent to Brgys of Mabinit, Bonga, Matanag and Buyuan of Legazpi City to evacuate all the disabled and sick persons living in the risk areas as part of the imposition of “no human activities” policy Gov. Joey S. Salceda Jr.

This as the alert level of Mayon was raised to level 4 yesterday afternoon.

Bansawan said that a total of four incapacitated persons were evacuated to San Roque Elem School in Legazpi City, two of them were identified as 83-year-old Anenias Llovito, and 65-year-old Jimmy Llorera.

Bansawan said that the AFP is appealing to the residents of 6-8 km Permanent Danger Zone to leave their houses.

Likewise, the soldiers manning the nine checkpoints along the risk areas of Mayon were double its strength and instructed to pull back in a safety areas and maintain its regular security patrols, imposition of curfew at night and checkpoints in the area in order to ensure a zero casualty.

A joint response team composed of medical teams and Task Force Mayon personnel were activated, ready on call for rescue operation. (PNA)
FFC/VR

Government volcanologists has warned disaster authorities to brace for more explosive fireworks as Mt. Mayon’s intense activity might turn into full-blown eruption within the next hours or days.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanologists (Philvocs) even raised the volcano’s alert status to Level 4, meaning hazardous explosive eruption is imminent.

Philvocs chief Renato Solidum , during the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) emergency meeting on Sunday, said the activity of the mountain grew more intense as volcanic quakes, particularly harmonic tremors, sulphur gas and lava flows increased.

Solidum said “with the increasing and persistent tremor of low frequency type or harmonic tremors we can expects for more explosive eruption to happen once the volcano erupts in the coming days,”

The volcano felt 462 volcanic quakes and tremors in the past 24 hours, a large number of which were recorded harmonic in kind by seismic instruments.

Advancing lava flow has now reached approximately 4.5 kilometers downslope from the crater along Bonga Gully.

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) gas cough up by the volcano increased from 2,034 ton per day (t/d)on Saturday to 7,024 on Sunday.

Phivolcs scientists closely monitor critical events like the surge in harmonic tremors since this would be a determining period where two possible scenarios might occur.

Solidum presented two scenario to take place in the event the volcano erupts, one scenario is the eruption would be similar to the 2006 event where a quiet eruption occurred as manifested by continuous lava emission while the second, the eruption would be an explosive patterned to that of the 1984, 1993 or 2000 eruptions.

“The 2006 eruption was a quite eruption exhibited by lava flow that lasted for two months and spawned some 52 million cubic meters of volcanic materials,” Solidum said.

Solidum , however, expected Mayon volcano eruption to be different from the 2006 eruption, simply because the volcano was presently manifesting increasing tremors and quakes which were not present in 2006.

He said a explosive hazardous type of eruption either a Plenian or Strombolian type might happen.

He said hazardous eruptions involved events such as series of pyroclastic explosion, sending ash columns and volcanic materials flows into the air kilometres high from the crater, lava flows, rock falls producing secondary explosions.

These events would always affect the six km Permanent Danger Zones and up to the 7-km extended danger zones in the southeast and northern part of the volcano, Solidum said

The aerial survey conducted on Saturday morning indicated that lava oozed out extensively from the crater that might flow towards the areas of Padang and in Sto Domingo.

Meanwhile, Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, PDCC chair, said following the calibrated response strategy and the on-step ahead disaster response measure, preparation had been in place in anticipation for the raising of Alert Level 5.

He said the forced evacuation and the imposition of a 24-hour curfew in the permanent and extended danger zones was a calibrated success with the evacuation of 8,637 families or 40,991 people living in 30 villages considered as high risk areas around the volcano.

Salceda said “we have somewhat exceeded the preemptive evacuation target may be because of the willingness of some residents and the five kilograms per day per family subsistence seems to be making traction.”

Salceda said some P300 million would be needed to sustain the evacuees in case Mayon volcano continued to erupt in the coming four months.

Earlier, Salceda said that the province was running low on calamity funds, with only 18 days to sustain the disaster operation. But he said “we’re still capable of supporting the needs of the evacuees even if we are spending P1 million a day to feed our people affected by Mt. Mayon.”

Based on the third rapid health assessment since Dec 14, health concerns that emerged in various evacuation camps were colds with fever. Four cases of conjunctivitis or sore eyes were also registered in areas like Tabaco.

While it is an expected scenario, the Albay Health Emergency Management looked into the deployment and field performance of AHEM personnel. The “colds with fever” were given medication while the “sore eyes” were put in isolation and similarly given medication.

The AHEM units maintain health stations on a 24/7 in every evacuation center.

The Department of Health distributed some 50,000 face masks to various municipal and health units across the province affected by ash falls.

Provicial Health Office also assured that there was enough supply from existing and emergency purchase of P1.8-million worth of medicines and other health supplies.

Unicef is sending medicines through CHD V – 1,000 packs. amoxycillin , Fe+folic 10000 packs , IEHK2006 kit, basic, IEHK20006 kit, new form oral rehydrate salts ILs/CAR0 10×100 and paracetamol 500mg 1000 packs.

The PDCC is working out on clean water and sanitation concerns of evacuation centers, which include sustained water supply from Legazpi Water District; repair of all faucets; installation of 24 portalets.

The Local Water Utility Administration (LWUA) has provided four tank lorries for water distribution in case of disruption; and Unicef provided 1,000 family water kits and 1,000 community water kits .

The PDCC also worked out on the putting up of 24 drums for bathing / washing water; a ready water purifiying machine that has a capacity of 30,000 liters per hour.

It also asked the Department of social Welfare and Development for the supply of 5,000 water jugs.

Based on the daily inspection of evacuation centers, there is a need for bed mattings and blankets given the cool weather.

Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral has prepositioned 1,700 blankets at the NAVFORSOL and 1,400 mats.

The PDCC will accelerate the human intervention approach in dealing with evacuees considering the boredom and discomforts that might be experienced specially this Christmas season.

Salceda said the Department of Health and DSWD would take care of the pyschosocial needs of the evacuees, specially the children. Among the activities lined up are the holding of film showings, feeding programs, parlor games, sports, arts, poetry reading, singing and poster making contest including concerts. (PNA)
RMA/MSA

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral announced that it has partnered with the Albay provincial government to set up tents as temporary classrooms for displaced students.

Cabral said the measure is necessary as the imminent eruption of Mayon has forced the provincial government to convert 45 schools into evacuation centers.

“Albay Gov. Jose Salceda requested tents to be used as temporary classrooms if the evacuees are still at the schools when the school year resumes,” she added.

Cabral said that the worst-case scenario is to have families evacuated from the danger zones stay at the evacuation centers for some three months.

Despite the threat from Mayon, provincial education officials are preparing to have pupils resume the school year on time on Jan. 4, 2010.

The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) aims to evacuate some 9,946 families or 47,285 people from the danger zones around the volcano.

As of Saturday afternoon, it has evacuated 8,637 families or 40,991 people to 24 designated evacuation centers.

It also said the NDCC had designated 45 schools as evacuation centers, including 11 in Legazpi City, six in Ligao City, and seven in Tabaco City.

”At present, about four families share one classroom,” Cabral said.

As this develops, the DSWD chief urged families in evacuation centers to maintain sanitation as this has been one of their perennial concerns.

She noted their past experiences that many diseases in evacuation centers stemmed from poor sanitation.

Cabral also said her department has sent relief goods to the evacuation centers, including rice, noodles and water, as well as blankets and sleeping mats.

She said the DSWD has also sent face masks to the evacuation centers.

Cabral said that in some evacuation centers, social workers show movies on disc players to keep the evacuees from getting bored and homesick.

In one evacuation center in Guinobatan town, she said the social workers hold film showings, with the films being “entertaining and educational” and not scary.

They are also on standby for counseling and stress debriefing, she added.

Cabral also said the evacuation centers have rooms for nursing mothers to breastfeed their infants. (PNA)
FFC/PFN

Malacańang has assured that all 9,000 families living at the danger zone in Mayon volcano will be evacuated today.

In a press briefing, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita quoted Defense Secretary and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) chairman Norberto Gonzales as saying that 90 percent of families living within the six-kilometer danger zone have already been evacuated.

Gonzales, he said, is confident that the rest of the residents will be evacuated today.

Ermita said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who left for the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen this noon, will be properly updated on the developments in Legazpi City and the status and condition of Albay residents.

Gonzales has been in Legazpi since this morning supervising activities at the Regional and Provincial Disaster Coordinating Center.

Ermita believes that Albay residents need not be reminded anymore of the dangers of staying near Mount Mayon because of their past experiences.

He said enough alerts have been established by local officials to warn the residents.

Before departing for Copenhagen, President Arroyo has directed Gonzales to immediately look into the Albay situation.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is also on stand by for any immediate relief assistance.

According to Philippine Institute on Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the alert level three raised in Mount Mayon signifies that magma is near the top of the crater and incandescent materials are now detaching.

It added that Mayon volcano is now at a “high level of unrest” and may have more dangerous eruptions. (PNA)
DCT/OPS/ssc

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and its attached agencies to ensure that there will be no casualties in the ongoing disaster response brought about by the restive Mayon Volcano in Albay.

This developed as the local officials, led by the Office of Civil Defense, continued evacuating thousands of residents around the volcano which has displayed abnormal activities since Monday when authorities raised Alert Level 3.

This means that an estimated 10,000 families living within the six-kilometer danger zone would have to be moved out of the area in anticipation of possible eruption of the volcano.

NDCC Chairman and Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said Albay Governor Joey Salceda reported to him that 68 percent of the estimated families inside the danger zone had already been evacuated as of Wednesday.

“Governor Joey told me that 68 percent of the people (inside the danger zone) have been already evacuated. So, by tomorrow morning, I think there will be 100 percent evacuation,” said Gonzales.

“The guidance of our President is zero casualty, so she directed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to ensure that there is absolutely no human activity within the danger zone, within the six-kilometer radius,” said Gonzales.

The Defense chief said that unless the restiveness of the volcano stops, the evacuees will have to stay at the evacuation centers, even during the Christmas season.

“The problem of Governor Salceda is that Christmas is coming. If our volcano doesn’t stop, it is likely that he will be celebrating Christmas with about 10,000 families,” said Gonzales.

Gonzales flew to Albay to take a look at the preparations of the local authorities.

“As far as the disaster management is concerned, they are very organized and I am very impressed that these evacuation centers are in order. We looked at their basic needs, water, toilet, kitchen, food. They have no problem with food,” he said.

According to Gonzales, about 50,000 pieces of face masks were flown to Albay from Manila for the protection of the residents from ashes spewed by the volcano. He said a similar number of face masks will be made available to the residence in the coming days. (PNA)
scs/VR