KANLAON VOLCANO CONTINUES TO SPEW ASH, FORCED EVACUATION WITHIN DANGER ZONE

Continues volcanic activity observed in Mt.Kanlaon, mandatory evacuation ordered to the residents within the danger zone (Photo courtesy of GMA Integrated News)

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported that an occasional ash emission was still observed from Kanlaon Volcano, with this the Regional Task Force Kanlaon has issued a mandatory evacuation order for families within the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).

PHIVOLCS said in its bulletin, a continuous degassing with occasional ash emission as well as a weak emission of plume of up to 75 meters tall were monitored from the volcano. The plume drifted to the southwest and south-southwest directions.

A total of 6,535 tonnes of sulfur dioxide were released from Kanlaon Volcano on Sunday, which is higher compared to the 3,620 tonnes recorded on Saturday. Twelve earthquakes were also observed in the volcano, which is lower compared to the 14 volcanic earthquakes reported in the previous bulletin.

The volcano’s edifice is still inflated. Alert Level 3 remains over Kanlaon Volcano, which means there is a high level of volcanic unrest. Magmatic intrusion to shallow levels of the edifice is driving unrest, with indications that hazardous eruption could occur in weeks.

Possible hazards from the volcano include sudden explosive eruption, lava flow or effusion, ashfall, pyroclastic density current (PDC), rockfall, and lahars during heavy rains.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) warned of a potential lahar hazard flow from Mt. Kanlaon that could endanger 644,487 residents across 13 cities and municipalities on Negros Island. It can move at a speed up to 75 to 80 kilometers per hour on steep slopes and can be extremely destructive and can cause significant damage to property and loss of life.

The OCD-6 in Western Visayas reported that as of 6:00 a.m. on Sunday, 5,515 families (18,425 individuals) had been evacuated. Of these, 4,238 families are from seven towns and cities in Negros Occidental, while 1,277 are from Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.

Authorities aim to complete the transfer of all residents within the six-kilometer danger zone to temporary shelters by Monday, December 16, in preparation for further volcanic activity.

On December 9, an explosive eruption occurred at the summit vent of Kanlaon Volcano, producing a voluminous plume that rapidly rose to 4,000 meters.

Source: GMA Integrated News 

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