Juban town orders forced evacuation of residents affected by ashfall from Mt. Bulusan

A thick layer of ash caused by the phreatic eruption of Bulusan Volcano blanketed the villages of Bacolod and Buraburan in Juban town in Sorsogon on Sunday. Photo from Sorsogon Provincial Information Office

LEGAZPI CITY – The local government of Juban town in Sorsogon province has ordered forced evacuation of residents affected by the ashfall caused by the phreatic eruption of Bulusan Volcano on Sunday morning.

Arvee Lodronio, head of the municipal disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) of Juban, said at least 1,500 families were affected in seven villages of Buraburan, Sangkayon, Putting Sapa, Añog, Bacolod, Catanusan and Guruyan.

Lodronio said they prioritized the persons with respiratory illness, senior citizens and children in the village of Puting Sapa who were living inside the five-kilometer radius of the volcano.

“We prioritized this village because it is an interior area and it would be difficult for us to enter this in case of another explosion, unlike in other areas situated along the road,” he said.

Residents living in houses made of light materials were also cautioned as heavy rain could trigger damage to their roof.

In its bulletin, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the phreatic eruption started at 10:37 a.m. and lasted for about 17 minutes. Phivolcs raised the alert level 1 in the volcano from alert level zero.

READ: After Mt. Bulusan’s phreatic eruption, nearby residents told to prepare for possible evacuation