Thousands fleeing from Mt. Bulusan

Mt. Bulusan viewed from Irosin town, Sorsogon. On Wednesday evening, it spewed ash plume cloud as high as 250 meters that prompted the Philippines Institute of Volcanolgy and Seismology to raise Alert level 1 over the volcano on Thursday. MA. LOURDES GAUFO/INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON INTERN

IROSIN, Sorsogon—Civil Defense officials in Bicol said they expected to complete the forced evacuation of 1,020 persons or 216 families from their homes in Barangay (village) Cogon in Irosin, Sorsogon, yesterday after warning them of rain-driven mudflow from Typhoon “Dodong” (international name: “Noul”) that could bury them alive.

Rachelle Miranda, public information officer of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol, said the evacuees represent the entire population of Barangay Cogon, which is within the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) of Mount Bulusan.

A steam-driven (phreatic) explosion on Bulusan Volcano on Wednesday prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) to raise the volcano’s alert level from zero (normal) to one (abnormal). Phivolcs also reiterated that the four-kilometer PDZ should be off limits to human activity.

Ibarra Escandor, operations officer of the Irosin Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said 320 persons deemed to be particularly vulnerable in Barangay Cogon were first evacuated.

Escandor said two Army trucks and two pick-up vehicles were used to evacuate the children, pregnant women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities from seven subvillages to Gallanosa National High School.

Phivolcs resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta said in an interview that Dodong would not have any direct effect on the volcano except for the lahar mudflow which might be triggered by intense rains.

The typhoon was gusting at up to 185 kph and experts warned that debris from two recent ash explosions could rumble down the slopes of the 1,559-meter volcano.

Laguerta said magma was not moving inside the volcano for lava to flow. “Only phreatic explosion is expected of the volcano,” he said.

The scheduled aerial survey on Mount Bulusan was also postponed to an indefinite date because of the typhoon.

Mount Bulusan stayed calm on Friday after ejecting ash plumes on Wednesday night. In its 8 a.m. bulletin yesterday, Phivolcs said it did not detect any volcanic quake but the volcano was observed to be gathering steam and remained in a restive mode.

Phivolcs data showed 60 villages in the Sorsogon towns of Barcelona, Bulusan, Casiguran, Gubat, Irosin and Juban surround Mount Bulusan, which towers 1,559 meters above sea level. With a report from Juan Escandor Jr. and AFP