Mayon set to erupt; evacuation ordered

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the alert level at Mayon volcano from 2 to 3 after recording a series of explosions and monitoring lava trickles yesterday.

This development prompted the provincial government of Albay to a enforce a mandatory evacuation of some 9,000 families living inside the danger areas starting today.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said Alert Level 3 was raised after recording a series of ash explosions at 10:38 a.m., 12:15, 12:21, 12:41, and 1:02 p.m. yesterday, indicating that “an eruption is likely.”

Solidum said another ash explosion was recorded at 1:04 p.m., reaching 100 meters high and lasting more than two minutes.

“Our resident volcanologists also observed incandescent fragments rolling from summit down to three kilometers,” he said.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said he had alerted disaster-control officials for evacuation of more residents anytime the condition worsened.

He also directed local officials to immediately activate their evacuation plans even as he ordered the suspension of classes in schools within a six to eight-kilometer-distance from the volcano’s crater, and in schools to be used as evacuation centers starting today.

Alex Baloloy, Albay resident volcanologist, said lava trickles might proceed to a full-blown eruption when consistent seismic activities and ash explosions would go on.

The volcano, said to be the most active in the country, has erupted at least 50 times since 1616. Its worst eruption buried Cagsawa town and killed 1,200 people in 1814. An eruption in 1993 killed more than 70 farmers.

Mayon erupted again in 2006. – Helen Flores, Cet Dematera