Mayon Volcano still erupting — Phivolcs

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — Mayon Volcano’s lava flows have equaled those extruded when it erupted in 2006, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Mayon has spewed around 90 million cubic meters of volcanic debris since Jan. 13, Paul Alanis, Phivolcs science research specialist, told a briefng with Mayon crisis manager Francis Tolentino, regional directors of national government agencies and local officials at Camp General Simeon Ola yesterday.

Alanis said lava effusion on Monday night flowed 3.3 kilometers in the Miisi gully in Daraga, 4.5 kilometers in Bonga in this city and 900 meters in Basud in Sto. Domingo.

“It means the volcano is still erupting due to continuing lava fountaining, lava flows and degassing although not as vigorous compared in January,” Alanis said.  

He said electronic tilt and GPS data indicate that the edifice of the volcano is still inflated. He said sulfur dioxide emission remained high at 2,787 tons on Monday compared to its normal level of only 500 tons.  

Lava fountaining lasted two minutes to over an hour and generated steam-laden plumes that rose up to 600 meters from the crater. Seven episodes of lava-collapse and pyroclastic density currents were observed between 6:06 a.m. and 1:36 p.m.

A total of 128 volcanic earthquakes, 79 of which corresponded to lava fountaining and rockfalls, were recorded by Mayon’s seismic monitoring network.

Six barangays in Camalig, four in Guinobatan and three in Sto. Domingo are at risk for lahar, according to their respective mayors.

 Alert Level 4 remains in effect over the volcano.

P134-M relief goods

Meanwhile, officials of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its partner agencies led a sendoff of relief goods worth P134 million for residents affected by Mayon’s eruption.

More than 30 trucks of the DSWD, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Transportation, World Food Program and Philippine Disaster Resiliency Foundation, loaded with a total of 36,100 food packs and other relief items, left the DSWD National Resource Operations Center in Pasay City yesterday afternoon as part of the agency’s humanitarian caravan.

“Despite our limited logistical resources, the DSWD is doing its best to continuously fulfill its mandate of responding to the needs of families who affected by disasters,” DSWD officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco said.

“We want to have a swift delivery of relief assistance to families in need. This is why we have been partnering and working closely with other national government agencies and non-government organizations in terms of logistics to continuously send aid to our fellow citizens in need,” Leyco said.

The caravan is expected to arrive in Guinobatan today.

The DSWD said its Disaster Response Assistance and Management Bureau targets the delivery of 458,250 additional food packs in Albay.

At least 16,106 families or 61,886 individuals remained in 57 evacuation centers in Albay yesterday. – With Janvic Mateo