Mayon Volcano Could Erupt Anytime

The six-kilometre radius around the Mayon volcano has been declared a danger zone. Since Monday, the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC) has already evacuated over 30,000 of the 47,000 residents from the danger zone. It is expected they could be evacuated for as long as four months.

82 earthquakes were measured on Tuesday night -- this corresponds to level 3 in a 5-step system. Level three means an eruption is likely.

Right now, there are occasional explosions and lava flow has reached 1.5 kilometres down slope. Emissions from the crater have been yielding some 2,750 tons per day. Jesus Puertoliano, Senior Science Research Specialist at the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology, said a large eruption was likely and could happen within weeks.

At the moment, the permanent danger zone is supposed to be free from human activity in case of a sudden explosion. If volcanic activity worsens, the danger zone could be extended.

But Jesus Puerteliano said it was not too dangerous yet: "We have a warning that if the trend is of increasing unrest, if the seismisity goes up, and explosion-type earthquakes increase, then we have to elevate the level from 3 to 4."

Evacuation plans

The Secretary General of the Red Cross in the Philippines, Gwendolyn Pang, said that the Red Cross was setting up a system for evacuees with special needs, including children. Schooling is being set up and is scheduled to resume after the holidays. The Red Cross is also setting up special facilities to meet the needs of the elderly.

Pang also said the Red Cross was preparing for major health concerns, as the evacuation facilities were very congested and the duration of the evacuation was uncertain.

"We have already evacuated more than 30,000 people, almost 40,000," Pang said. "Seven municipalities are now being affected. We don’t know what will happen after this. But the Red Cross has already put up warehouses in the area to prepare. We have deployed people in case something happens and we are ready to respond. "

"At the moment, the local government is supplying food and the Red Cross is looking at putting up water and sanitation so people have access to potable water and water also for washing."

24-hour curfew?

Local authorities are reportedly considering the introduction of a 24-hour curfew, which could help the government to evacuate anyone remaining more easily should there be a sudden eruption, thus saving lives.

The Mayon volcano is located on the south of the island Luzon. It is the most active of the 22 active volcanoes in the Philippines, with 48 recorded eruptions.

It has erupted at least once in the past eight years.

Author: Sarah Berning
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein