Over 1,400 Albay folk still in evacuation centers after Mayon eruption

LEGAZPI CITY — At least 1,477 residents in Albay remained in evacuation centers on Saturday (Oct. 31), a day after Mayon Volcano had a moderately explosive eruption that prompted authorities to enforce mandatory evacuation.

The evacuees, who were living within the volcano’s six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), were moved to safer areas after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s (Phivolcs) raised the volcano’s alert status to Level 3.

Oscar Robert Cristobal, chief of the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), told the Inquirer in a phone interview on Saturday that the evacuees from the cities of Tabaco and Ligao and the town of Camalig received assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other government agencies.

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Of the total evacuees, 858 are from Tabaco, 584 from Camalig and 35 from Ligao.

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Cristobal said authorities have yet to determine when the evacuees could return home, as Mayon’s volcanic activity remained uncertain.

“Our priority is their safety,” he said.

He said the Philippine National Police tightened security around the volcano’s six-kilometer PDZ, strictly prohibiting entry to protect residents from potential hazards.

In its latest 24-hour monitoring, Phivolcs recorded 15 volcanic earthquakes and 30 rockfall events at Mayon.