More than 100 families return home after Bulusan eruption

Affected residents prepare to return home from the evacuation center after the eruption of Mt. Bulusan on Sunday, June 5, 2022, forced them to leave their houses. Photo from Sorsogon-PIO

MANILA, Philippines — The Sorsogon Provincial government on Wednesday reported that 104 families from Barangay Puting Sapa who were evacuated after the phreatic eruption of Mt. Bulusan have already returned home.

The Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) and volunteer groups distributed food packs and bottled water to the families before they were sent home. The Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Juban Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) assisted to ensure their safe return to their respective residences.

READ: Bulusan eruption rains ash, forces evacuation

“Bagamat nakauwi na ang mga evacuees, patuloy pa rin silang inaabisuhan na PHO (Provincial Health Office) na magsuot ng masks upang maiwasan ang respiratory illnesses na maaaring maidulot ng abo mula sa bulkan,” the provincial government said.

(Although the evacuees have returned home, they are still being advised by the PHO to wear masks to prevent respiratory illnesses that can be caused by volcanic ash.)

It has been three days since Mt. Bulusan spewed ash via a phreatic eruption. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the volcano is still at Alert Level 1.

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