MANILA, Philippines — The mandatory evacuation of residents within Mayon Volcano’s six-kilometer-radius permanent danger zone due to the threat of a “hazardous” eruption is ongoing, the provincial government of Albay said.
Around 10,578 people living within the six-kilometer PDZ were evacuated Friday morning, according to the Albay Provincial Information Office.
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The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology placed Mayon under Alert Level 3 Thursday, which indicates the volcano is exhibiting an “increased tendency toward a hazardous eruption.”
In the event Phivolcs raises Mayon’s status to Alert Level 4, around 16,000 residents living within the extended seven-kilometer danger zone will be evacuated.
In an interview with CNN Philippines, Albay Governor Grex Lagman identified the cities of Legazpi, Tabaco and Ligao, and the municipalities of Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Bacacay, Malilipot, and Sto. Domingo as areas vulnerable to Mayon’s increasing unrest.
Lagman said the provincial government is set to place Albay under a state of calamity, which will allow authorities to access quick access funds to provide assistance to affected residents.
“There is no state of panic in the province. All the other functions of the government are normally being undertaken,” he said.
In its latest report, Phivolcs said it recorded 199 rockfall events and six dome-collapse Pyroclastic Density Currents in the past 24 hours. PDCs are mixtures of volcanic rock, volcanic ash (pulverized rock, glass, and crystals), and gas that can travel at great speeds.
Steam-laden plumes, fair crater glow, and incandescent rockfall were also observed. — Gaea Katreena Cabico