OVER 16,000 individuals were displaced due to the unrest at Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Occidental, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday, December 16, 2024.
In a situational report, the NDRRMC said a total of 43,970 individuals or 10,784 families in 26 barangays in Central and Western Visayas were affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
Of which, 4,278 families or 13,748 persons were staying in evacuation centers while 2,366 individuals or 694 families opted to stay with their relatives.
The disaster bureau said nearly 10,000 families were in need of assistance from the government.
So far, more than P29 million worth of food and non-food relief items were provided to the affected population.
Among the hardest hit areas were the cities of Bago and La Carlota and the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Murcia, Pontevedra and San Carlos in Negros Occidental, which has declared a state of calamity and the City of Canlaon in Negros Oriental.
Meanwhile, the Task Force Kanlaon ordered the completion of the mandatory evacuation within the 6-kilometer (km) permanent danger zone (PDZ) near Mt. Kanlaon by December 16 to ensure the safety of the residents.
The Office of the Civil Defense Western Visayas stressed that the potential for a violent eruption poses a significant threat to life and property.
“Residents who have not yet evacuated are urged to comply with the order to avoid any risks associated with possible re-eruptions or a worst-case scenario of a violent eruption,” the agency said.
Border controls are established in various entry and exit points within the danger zone.
The order said internally displaced persons will be allowed entry and exit within the extended 6-km PDZ from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. only.
Over the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 12 volcanic earthquakes in the Kanlaon Volcano.
It also generated 6,535 tonnes of sulfur dioxide flux and emitted 75 meters tall plume while its edifice remained inflated. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
