No lahar flow yet on Mayon’s slopes, officials say C

MANILA, Philippines - Disaster management officials in Albay clarified yesterday that there was no lahar flow yet in a barangay near restive Mayon Volcano amid heavy rains spawned by Tropical Storm Mario.

Reports earlier said that mudflow reached Barangay Maipon in the town of Guinobatan, which is within the danger zone of Mayon.

But Cedric Daep, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo), said what was reported as lahar flow in Guinobatan was only a river flow, or cascading of water from Mayon’s downslope rivers whose bed soil was disturbed by flooding caused by the heavy downpour that lasted until yesterday morning.

Daep reiterated that lahar flow is not yet possible because Mayon’s ongoing abnormal activities do not yet include phreatic explosions, pyroclastic flow or lava flow.

“What Mayon is so far ejecting are lava fragments or trickles that are still very minimal in volume to trigger a lahar flow,” Daep told The STAR.

Meanwhile, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum said what was initially reported as lahar in Guinobatan was most likely not lahar but flood with sediments.

“A true lahar should have significant amount of sediments in water,” Solidum said.

Fewer quakes

Meanwhile, Phivolcs also said fewer earthquakes and rockfalls were recorded around Mayon in the past 24 hours.

Mayon’s seismic network recorded 22 volcanic earthquakes and 70 rockfall events.

However, Phivolcs said the volcano’s alert status remained at level 3, which means that a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within weeks.

“It is recommended that the 6-km radius permanent danger zone around the volcano and the 7-km extended danger zone on the southeastern flank be enforced due to the danger of rockfalls, landslides and sudden explosions or dome collapse that may generate hazardous volcanic flows,” Phivolcs said.

Residents in the danger zone of the volcano had been evacuated to safer ground early this week.

P6.6-M DSWD aid

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has released P6.6 million worth of relief assistance for Albay residents who fled their homes due to the restive Mayon Volcano.

The relief package includes essential kits, family food packs, assorted food and non-food items.

As of 3 p.m. yesterday, the DSWD monitored some 29 evacuation centers serving 7,394 families or 32,333 individuals.

Members of the DSWD teams continue to work with disaster risk reduction management councils and local government units to monitor the situation and assist in the management of evacuation centers. – With Helen Flores, Celso Amo, Rainier Allan Ronda