OCD eyes transfer of Kanlaon evacuees outside Canlaon City

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) is preparing a plan that includes transferring evacuees outside Canlaon City amid the continued activity of Kanlaon Volcano.

Civil Defense Central Visayas Director Joel Erestain announced on January 7 that discussions have been ongoing with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development since September of last year.

“One of the challenges is to look for a land where we can evacuate our countrymen,” Erestain said. “But we have to be prepared because there’s a possibility that that lot will be outside of Canlaon City.”

Erestain explained that these preparations are being done in anticipation of the worst-case scenario.

“Good thing the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) has lands where we could temporarily relocate,” he said.

He added that the OCD is creating a systematic transportation of residents should Alert Level 4 be raised, indicating that a hazardous eruption is imminent.

The OCD is looking at routes to the towns of Vallehermoso and Benedicto as possible roads leading out of Canlaon City.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) logged 37 volcanic earthquakes on Monday. 

Alert Level 3 (Intensified Unrest/Magmatic Unrest) remains in effect over Kanlaon Volcano.
—Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News