SOME 10,200 families or about 42,200 individuals have been affected by the recent “explosive eruption” of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.
Of the affected population, 4,730 families or 23,637 individuals are in Negros Oriental while the rest (5,483 families or 18,576 individuals) are in Negros Occidental, said OCD-Western Visayas spokesperson Maria Christina Mayor.
Mayor said 5,421 families or 18,057 individuals have evacuated to 38 temporary centers. However, the number was down to 4,691 families or 15,665 individuals as of yesterday.
“It went down because some residents went on preemptive evacuation even if they are not living inside the six kilometer danger zone, (even if) they are living 7 to 8 kilometers away from the volcano. So they already decamped,” she said.
Mayor said 1,099 families or 3,937 individuals were also displaced but are staying with their relatives and friends.
Officials are targeting to clear the danger zone of some 54,000 individuals until Tuesday next week to spare them from possible harm.
Asked if they can accomplish the mission, Mayor said: “We are trying, at this rate we can… With the cooperation from the LGUs (local government units) and the residents, we can do it,” said Mayor.
Mayor said there are enough supplies for those affected.
“Supplies arrived (in the island) yesterday and more are coming,” she said.
Kanlaon Volcano went on “explosive eruption” last Monday, prompting the raising of the volcano’s status to Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest), from Alert Level 2 (increasing unrest).
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said a “hazardous eruption” could occur in the coming weeks.
