Kanlaon muddy stream flow triggers evacuation

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Fifty-one families comprising 167 people in La Castellana, Negros Occidental and Canlaon City, Negros Oriental fled to safety on Tuesday due to a muddy stream flow coming from the upper slopes of Kanlaon Volcano.

La Castellana Mayor Anejo Nicor said 27 families from Barangay Biak-na-Bato were brought to the village hall, where they were provided with food and other assistance.

Nicor said residents were advised not to return home until the situation returns to normal.

Authorities said heavy rainfall pushed mud deposits down the slope of the volcano, creating a muddy stream.

Although there was no rain in Biak-na-Bato at the time and the weather condition was only cloudy, rainfall at higher elevations caused the muddy stream to swell and move toward lower-lying areas, Nicor said.

A similar occurrence was reported at the Calapnagan Bridge in Biak-na-Bato.

Meanwhile, Donato Sermeno III, chief of the Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR), said 24 families were preemptively evacuated in the villages of Panubigan and Masulog in Canlaon City.

The evacuations followed heavy rainfall brought by an intertropical convergence zone, which affected parts of Negros Island on Tuesday.

The Canlaon local disaster risk reduction and management office reported moderate to heavy and at times intense rainshowers accompanied by lightning and strong winds in Vallehermoso, Canlaon City as well as in Guihulngan.

Sermeno urged residents in areas vulnerable to flooding and mudflows to follow advisories of local government units and evacuate preemptively when warnings are issued.

The OCD-NIR is considering deploying drones to monitor the upper portion of Kanlaon, and determine whether debris or other obstructions may have restricted the flow of water and caused the muddy stream.