LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Albay Governor Joey Salceda has placed the entire province under a "state of alert and monitoring" in light of the threats presented by Mayon volcano’s restiveness and the approach of Tropical Storm Santi (international codename: Mirinae)

Salceda, who also heads the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council of Albay, said he released at noon Wednesday a safety guide so that this "complex disaster risk" would be met and matched with greater preparedness.

The PDCC convened an emergency meeting at 8 a.m. and recommended placing the entire province under a "state of alert and monitoring."

It reiterated that zero-casualty was the overarching provincial goal during disasters and that preemptive evacuation, not rescue, was the principal strategy to achieve this.

It pointed out that due to the possibility of sudden explosions and rockfalls from the upper slopes of Mayon, the six-kilometer permanent danger zone around the volcano and the seven-kilometer extended danger zone on the southeast flank of the volcano were completely off-limits.

The PDCC also recommended the reinforcement of the joint Armed Forces Philippines-Philippine National Police checkpoints and asked all city and municipal disaster coordinating councils to convene to review preemptive evacuation plans and prepare evacuation centers.

It also asked barangay disaster and coordinating councils to identify and prepare master lists of people top be evacuated from areas threatened by the volcanic activity and by flooding, mudflows, landslides and sea surges induced by the approaching storm.

The PDCC also instructed the barangay disaster councils to immediately call barangay council meetings and other assemblies to discuss -to discuss community and household preparedness.

It called for the early procurement and pre-positioning of basic resources for evacuation: non-food supplies like flashlights, whistles, batteries, candles and raincoats, and food supplies like ready-to-eat or easy-to-cook food, cooking fuel and utensils.
It also advised the various disaster councils and government agencies such as the Provincial Engineer's Office, AFP, PNP and Department of Public Works and Highways, to inventory and inspect the status of transport equipment, including rubber boats and ambulances, and power generators to ensure their readiness for deployment and service.

It urged all the disaster councils to closely follow bulletins from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and the PDCC through local radio stations and new websites.