Evacuation starts as quakes rock Taal

ABANDONED Taal Volcano Island has been abandoned by its residents following the volcanic eruption in January last year. This week, some people who managed to find their way back to what locals call “Pulo” have been evacuated due to earthquakes on the island. —GRIG C.MONTEGRANDE

Coast Guard personnel started evacuating people from Taal Volcano Island in Batangas province on Tuesday, as government volcanologists reminded the public that the volcano was still under Alert Level 1, or under abnormal status.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council confirmed the precautionary evacuation in two villages in Talisay town but clarified that this was done due to recent volcanic activity, not because of a pending eruption.

At least 60 people living on the island were brought to the municipal social welfare office after tremors increased in the past 24 hours, the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Seismic activity

On Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned of a slight increase in Taal’s seismic activities, as well as changes in the main crater lake. It reiterated a previous recommendation to bar entry into the volcano island, which locals call “Pulo.”In a bulletin on Tuesday, Phivolcs said the Taal Volcano Network recorded 98 tremors ranging from 5 to 12 minutes in the past 24 hours. The main crater emitted white steam-laden plumes that rose 5 meters. Volcanologists also recorded a slight deflation around the main crater since October last year, and noted the “very slow and steady inflation” of the Taal region since its eruption in January last year.

“Phivolcs reminds the public that at Alert Level 1, sudden stream-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within the Taal Volcano Island,” the agency said in its bulletin.

OUT OF HARM’S WAY A team composed of Coast Guard personnel, firemen and policemen ensures that people still on Taal Volcano Island will be out of harm’s way as the area remains under Alert Level 1 (abnormal status). —PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK PAGE OF PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD

“Local government units are advised to continuously assess previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake for damage and road accessibilities,” it added.

No man’s land

Taal, the country’s second most active volcano, erupted in January last year, forcing hundreds of thousands of people within the 14-kilometer radius to flee their homes.

It spewed volcanic ash and gas, which was accompanied by volcanic quakes that shook the volcano island and nearby towns in Batangas.

More than a year after its eruption, the picturesque volcano transformed into a barren and desolate landscape. Several families still stayed in evacuation centers.

The government has declared Pulo a “no man’s land” and barred the return of about 8,000 people who had lived off farming, fishing and volcano tours on horseback. But caretakers of fish cages in the lake were allowed to return as the aquaculture industry started to recover. Ali Belina, a staff member of the Batangas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the provincial government was monitoring the situation and would look into reports of evacuation on the volcano island.

Tagaytay City Mayor Agnes Tolentino, whose city in Cavite province overlooks Taal, has appealed to the public to remain calm and alert, and monitor government reports on the situation.

“As of now, we do not see any need to evacuate Tagaytay residents,” Tolentino said in a post in Filipino on the city’s Facebook page on Tuesday.