BACOLOD CITY (PIA) — The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) urged all local government units (LGUs) around Mt. Kanlaon to never lower their guard and anticipate the worst.
Following the December 9 eruption that prompted the raising of the alert status to Alert Level 3, DOST-Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol warned that another and more powerful eruption is possible.
Bacolocol stressed that their data point at similar or even stronger explosive eruptions that may cause pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) flying then hurtling down areas within the 6-kilometer danger zone.
PDCs are hazardous and destructive events during an explosive eruption that carry hot volcanic ash, debris and other materials from the volcano.“There is a possibility na mangyari ulit yung December 9 event, pero now in a bigger scale,” Bacolcol stressed during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Meeting.
[There is a possibility that the Dec. 9 event may happen again, but on a bigger scale.]
With this, Phivolcs recommends that mandatory or forced evacuation be strictly enforced within the 6-kilometer radius.
Local government units, disaster officials, and the public are also strongly advised to not be complacent and be prepared for a possible elevation of the alert status to Alert Level 4 should Kanlaon’s activities persist or worsen in the following days.
When Alert Level 4 is raised, the danger zone will be expanded to a 10-kilometer radius from the summit and more people will have to evacuate their homes for safety.Further, Phivolcs warns of the possibility of lahar flow when an eruption occurs under intense rainy conditions, hence, their reiteration of the need to keep people away from the current 6-kilometer danger zone.
“Sana yung mindset natin, hindi natin isipin na mag-step down (ang alert level). Isipin natin na mag-step up. Kasi baka we will lower down our shields, maging kampante tayo, at biglang sumabog,” Bacolcol pointed out.
[Our mindset should not be on the possibility of the alert level stepping down. It must be on the possibility of stepping up. The time we let our guard down could be the time it erupts again.]
The Phivolcs chief said that they are closely monitoring and assessing the volcano’s activities, looking at the downtrend or uptrend of relevant parameters which would prompt them to elevate or downgrade the alert status.
“The thing is, we have to be very careful dahil may quiescence before ang Kanlaon major eruption,” said Bacolcol.
[The thing is, we have to be very careful because there is quiescence before the Kanlaon major eruption.]
He noted the Phivolcs does not want Filipinos in this part of the country spending Christmas and New Year in evacuation centers, but reiterated the gravity of the situation, saying Kanlaon’s behavior cannot be controlled.
In his visit to Negros Occidental, Director Bacolcol was joined by Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division chief Ma. Antonia Bornas, with a team of documenters and geologists.
Together with Office of Civil Defense (OCD) officials on board Philippine Air Force (PAF) Black Hawk helicopters, they scouted the vicinity of Kanlaon to visually assess the volcano and determine the impact of its Dec. 9 eruption. (AGP/BPS/PIA Negros Occidental)
