‘Typhoons may trigger lahar from Mayon’

MANILA, Philippines — With three to four tropical cyclones forecast to enter the country this month, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda has raised fears that heavy rain may trigger lahar flow around Mayon Volcano.

“Heavy rainfall may exacerbate risks in Mayon, and will force us to evacuate communities near lahar channels in addition to those already in danger zones,” Salceda said.

He said average rainfall in Albay in July is at 155.2 millimeters compared to 112.53 mm in the rest of the year.

“Around 38 percent more rain, and if the PAGASA projection takes place, we could see more. That compounds the risks Mayon poses,” Salceda said.

He said there may be no need to evacuate residents near lahar channels if they are outside the six to eight-kilometer danger zones.

“What we are looking at is extended evacuation for those in danger zones and intermittent evacuation for those in lahar channels during heavy rain. We will really need help,” Salceda said.

He said lahar deposited on the slopes of Mayon during the 2018 eruption cascaded in 2020 due to rains spawned by Typhoon Rolly.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said lava flow from Mayon reached 2,230 meters and 1,300 meters along Mi-isi and Bonga gullies, respectively, in the past 24 hours.

Phivolcs said seven dome-collapse pyroclastic density currents that lasted for two to three minutes, 284 rockfall events, two volcanic earthquakes, plumes that rose up to 2,500 meters and sulfur dioxide emissions that averaged 595 tons were also recorded.

With Mayon’s unrest expected to last for a few months, the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) said potential donors should coordinate with the provincial government before handing out food and non-food items.

APSEMO officer-in-charge Eugene Escobar said donations should be in response to the actual needs of the evacuees to avoid flooding of similar relief goods.

Escobar said so-called ”donor fatigue“ should be avoided as it may result in a shortage of food and non-food needs of  the evacuees.

He said donations continue to pour in for Mayon evacuees from government and private groups.

Phreatic bursts recorded in Taal

Meanwhile, in Taal Volcano, Phivolcs said two phreatic bursts were recorded in the past 24 hours.

The bursts were relatively small in size and produced plumes that rose 250 meters and 200 meters, respectively.

Phivolcs said the phreatic bursts were steam and gas-driven and did not generate ashfall.

Nine volcanic earthquakes, including five tremors that lasted for two minutes, were recorded.

Sulfur dioxide flux of 7,49 tons per day with plumes that rose up to 2,400 meters were monitored.

Taal Volcano remains under Alert Level 1.

Phivolcs said this means steam-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas may occur. — Romina Cabrera, Cet Dematera