THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is preparing for a possible escalation of the alert status of Mount Kanlaon from the current Level 3 to Level 4, following the volcano’s eruption on Tuesday.
“Currently, we are assisting over 2,000 families through the efforts of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and local government units in our evacuation centers. This translates to more than 6,000 individuals,” said Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.
“If the alert level is raised to Level 4, the current six-kilometer danger zone will be expanded to 10 kilometers. This means we will need to evacuate more than 90,000 individuals from the affected communities,” the official added.
Mount Kanlaon in Negros Island erupted at 5:51 AM on Tuesday, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). The eruption ended at 6:47 AM.
Ashfall was reported in several areas in Negros Occidental following the explosive eruption. Affected areas include Barangay Sag-Ang in La Castellana; Barangays Yubo and Ara-al in La Carlota; and Bago City.
Malacañang assured that assistance will be provided to those affected by the eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
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