147,870 in evacuation centers due to Taal Volcano unrest — NDRRMC
MANILA, Philippines — Over 317,000 from the provinces of Batangas, Quezon, Laguna and Cavite have been listed as affected by Taal Volcano's unrest.
Of that number, 147,873 are taking temporary shelter in 500 evacuation centers, while 119,106 are "being served" outside of proper evacuation centers, according to the latest update by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas also said in an earlier press briefing on Tuesday that the number of those who have fled had already swelled to at least one million, an estimate "based on the number of population living within the declared lockdown areas."
Although it has been more than a week since the first steam eruption took place at Taal Volcano's main crater, the aftereffects of this continue to drive the number of those displaced up with each passing update.
Groups have raised concerns over the effects of prolonged displacement, both in terms of the psychosocial repercussions and the potential loss of income. A total of P3.2 billion in agriculture was lost in Calabarzon.
Although state volcanologists continue to say that the volcano displays "generally weaker" activity, they say that the further eruption is still very much a possibility.
Alert Level 4 and NDRRMC alert status red indicate that "a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days" and that disaster officials must report to work 24/7, respectively, both of which have been up since January 12, Sunday.
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