3,000 evacuees go home after Mayon alert level lowered

LEGAZPI CITY—It’s Christmas at home finally for at least 3,000 evacuees who had been forced to live in government shelters for three months as a result of the preemptive evacuation of residents living in communities around restive Mayon Volcano.

This came after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered the alert level for Mayon from 3 to 2 on Friday.

Phivolcs said a “general decline” in Mayon’s restiveness was observed, leading to the lowering of the alert level.

Alex Baloloy, volcanologist at Lignon Hill observatory here, said in a phone interview that Phivolcs had recorded fewer volcanic quakes, less sulfur dioxide emission and less swelling of the volcano’s surface.

Signs

These were signs indicating that Mayon is simmering down, Baloloy said.

In a bulletin, Phivolcs said no new lava flow had been recorded since Oct. 19. Also, the Phivolcs bulletin said, the volcano’s crater had stopped glowing since the last crater glow was seen on Nov. 28.

These meant, according to the Phivolcs bulletin, that magma had stopped rising to the volcano’s crater.

After Phivolcs lowered the alert level, the provincial government of Albay ordered the decampment of the 3,000 evacuees who are from the towns of Camalig, Malilipot, Guinobatan and the cities of Ligao and Tabaco.

“Our life will be normal again,” said Beatriz Mosqueta, 61, of Barangay (village) Sua in Camalig.

Bartolome Napay, 80, of Barangay Quirangay in Camalig, said he was thankful he could now go home to tend to his farm and animals.

Conditional

But Gov. Joey Salceda said the order to decamp is “conditional” as authorities may order another preemptive evacuation should Phivolcs raise Mayon’s alert level anew.

He said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council was also working on the immediate resettlement of residents living inside the 6-kilometer radius permanent danger zone around Mayon.

He said the provincial government would need at least P600 million to build permanent relocation sites.

Families from Camalig and Guinobatan living within the danger zones would be prioritized, said Salceda.

At least 50,000 persons from the permanent and extended danger zones had stayed in shelters when alert level 3 was raised on Mayon, on Sept. 15.

Early in November, majority of the evacuees, who were from the extended danger zones, were allowed to return home.