OCD gears up for ‘worst case scenario’ due to Mayon’s unrest

Mayon volcano, June 8, 2023 at 1:08PM | Photo from INQUIRER.net / Ed Lustan

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is gearing up for the “worst case scenario” that may happen should Mayon volcano erupt.

OCD spokesperson Raffy Alejandro IV said this on Friday.

His remark comes, after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) put Mayon under Alert Level 3 on Thursday due to “potential explosive activity happening within days or weeks.”

“Our direction is, we are looking at a worst-case scenario which is ma-le-level four tayo [we are going on level 4] in the next few weeks or months,” Alejandro said in an interview with reporters at OCD Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Phivolcs raises the alert level to four when there is intensifying unrest characterized by more perceptible earthquake swarms and volcanic tremors, with frequent strong ash explosions, among other parameters.

Under Alert Level 4, the “danger zone” may be extended up to nine kilometers or more from the active crater.

At present, the danger zones are expanded up to eight kilometers from the volcano’s basin.

The provincial government of Albay had ordered the mandatory evacuation of more than 18,000 residents inside Mayon’s permanent danger zone.

“So what we should be eyeing now is when we go on level four, dapat nanonood na lang lahat [everyone should be watching],” Alejandro warned.

“As long as we are out of the danger zone, we are assured that there will be no casualties,” he added, partly in Filipino.

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