AUTHORITIES and stakeholders identified the gaps in their preparations amid the alert level raised over Mount Kanlaon in Negros Island.
This was tackled Thursday, November 16, during the Response Committee Plan meeting held at the Department of Information and Communications Technology-Bacolod conference hall led by Jose Roberto Nuñez, head of Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)-Western Visayas, and Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian, head of Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division.
Mount Kanlaon remained on Alert Level 2, or in the “moderate level of unrest” since Wednesday.
There is probable intrusion of magma at depth which may or may not lead to a magmatic eruption, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said in its advisory Thursday.
The agency recorded 217 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours.
“No degassing activity was observed during times when the summit crater was visible. Ground deformation data from continuous GPS measurements indicate inflation of the edifice since December 2015. Sulfur dioxide emission was measured at an average of 1 tonne per day on September 6,” the Phivolcs added.
During the response committee meeting, Caelian said the local government units (LGUs) that will be affected in case of eruption laid down their evacuation plans, which included the setting up of drop off points and evacuation centers.
Some of the localities have identified “gaps,” or concerns, in their preparations, particularly on supplies of tents, emergency kits, and food packs.
Caelian said the LGUs were told to submit their list to the OCD and the Provincial Government within the week.
The Capitol and OCD would know when to come in for support once the data is consolidated, he said.
Caelian said they will continue to closely monitor the volcanic earthquakes in the next few days.
He had earlier identified the “most probable areas” that will be affected by the volcanic eruption.
These are the cities of San Carlos, Bago, and La Carlota and the towns of Murcia, La Castellana, Moises Padilla and Salvador Benedicto, which are under the four-kilometer danger zone.
Based on the pathway of lahar, localities that will be affected include the cities of San Carlos, Bago, La Carlota and Himamaylan and the towns of Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Valladolid, Hinigaran, Binalbagan, La Castellana, Moises Padilla and Isabela.
Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr., for his part, told Negrenses there’s no cause for panic even if the alert level in Kanlaon was raised, but said they should not let their guard down and should remain on alert.
He said concerned agencies continue to monitor the condition.
“The Phivolcs will advise us if there’s a change in the situation,” the governor said.
He also called for prayers, saying “prayer is the best answer and solution. If the boss up there will not allow it, it will not happen.”
Nuñez also said the LGUs were asked to submit their respective disaster preparations, adding that he noticed there are still some that lack the facilities for evacuation especially covered courts.
There is no evacuation reported yet, but the OCD-Western Visayas will conduct another briefing with the LGUs after five days to assess the situation, he added.
Meanwhile, Phivolcs reminded the LGUs and the public that entry into the four-kilometer radius permanent danger zone is strictly prohibited due to the further possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions.
Mount Kanlaon is the highest point in the Visayas at 2,465 meters (8,087 feet) above sea level. It straddles the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental. (with reports from Teresa D. Ellera)