Bacolod City – Entertaining a worst case scenario, should Kanlaon Volcano erupt, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) anticipates a shortage of evacuation centers.
Task Force Kanlaon chief Raul Fernandez, who is also the OCD 6 regional director, urged the unaffected local government units to adopt a barangay whose population will be affected, in case the Kanlaon Alert Level is increased from category 3 to 4.
Fernandez, who attended the PHIVOLCS InfoPress activity recently at the Provincial Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City, disclosed that the Regional Incident Management Team already reached out to the LGUs of Himamaylan, Kabankalan, Talisay, Victorias, Silay, Bacolod, San Carlos, and even Cadiz, to accommodate Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
OCD also coordinated with LGUs in the first district of Negros Oriental, such as Guihulngan City and Vallehermoso town, to accommodate evacuees from Canlaon City and Moises Padilla town.
OCD expects about 48,000 families, or 100,000 individuals, to be affected if Alert Level 4 is declared at Kanlaon Volcano.
OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno, in a statement said that 300 family tents have been successfully established in the “Himamaylan Tent City,” which is now ready to provide shelter to evacuees, as the threat from Kanlaon Volcano escalates.
While the tent city is being prepared, Nepomuceno said the installation of essential utilities is currently underway to ensure a safe environment for families displaced by volcanic activity.
“We are mobilizing all available resources to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the Kanlaon eruption. Our goal is to give them a sense of normalcy as they navigate this difficult situation,” the OCD administrator added.
The OCD has yet to approve the contingency plans of La Castellana for the evacuation of its residents, should the Kanlaon activity escalate, as the LGU has insisted that the affected residents should not be evacuated outside the town, stressing that two of its barangays are 16 kilometers away from the volcano.
Fernandez, however, said there is not enough space for 10,000 town residents to be accommodated in the barangays of Nato and Talaptap of La Castellana, noting the lack of facilities for IDPs.
On our part, we just prepare in case there is a spillover of evacuees, he added, stressing that they will try their best to persuade the mayor to heed their call.
More than two months after the explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in December 9 last year, 3,871 families, composed of 12,446 individuals, who reside within the six kilometer permanent danger zone, are staying inside and outside of evacuation centers, according to reports of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds)