NDRRMC: 75,500 Albay residents left homes due to Mayon eruption

Some 75,500 residents from different municipalities and cities in Albay have left their homes due to the continuous eruptions of Mayon Volcano, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Thursday.

In its latest situation report, the NDRRMC said 17,490 families or 66,442 persons are currently being served inside the 67 designated evacuation centers while 2,179 families or 9,058 persons are staying with their relatives.

The evacuated residents were among the 21,733 families or 83,533 affected people in the municipalities or cities of Bacacay; Camalig; Guinobatan; Ligao City; Daraga; Tabaco City; Malilipot; Libog, Santo Domingo; and Legazpi City in Albay.

A total of P32,989,323.78 worth of assistance has been provided by Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Office of the Civil Defense, local government units, and non-government organizations to the affected families.

The Department of Agriculture has also conducted update and on-site validation for the identified pooling sites of livestock and animal in the nine-kilometer extended danger zone.

It has also evacuated and transported 167 animals within the seven to eight-kilometer extended danger zone to pooling/evacuation centers in Camalig and Daraga.

The DA also provided support, including 10-meter rope per animal, 10 kilograms feed concentrates per animal, waterer and feeder, to livestock raisers and farmers.

From 3 a.m. of Wednesday to Thursday, Mayon Volcano saw six episodes of lava fountaining that spewed ash and lava, according to the latest bulletin from state volcanologists.

In its 8.am. Mayon bulletin on Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) described the events, which each came along with tremors, as “intense but sporadic” lasting between nine and 58 minutes each.

A report by Saleema Refran on Unang Balita on Thursday said such events have been occurring with increasing frequency and duration, or every four to five hours, and could last from seven minutes to 1.5 hours. —Amita Legaspi/KBK, GMA News