Mayon begins spewing lava

Lava flow reaches 1.8 kilometers from summit

MANILA, Philippines — Mayon Volcano in Albay started an “effusive eruption” and began spewing lava on Sunday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said, as it urged residents outside the six-kilometer permanent danger zone to prepare for possible evacuation.

“Mayon Volcano started an infusible eruption at 7:47 last night, meaning slow release of magma at the volcano edifice, that’s why we experience lava flow. It reached more than 1.8 kilometers from the summit,” Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said yesterday in a radio interview.

Bacolcol said that Phivolcs is assessing the situation on a daily basis to see if it warrants raising the alert status to Level 4 from the current Alert Level 3.

“We are assessing this on a daily basis and we are closely monitoring the parameters. If there are significant dramatic increases, the alert level (will be raised) to Alert Level 4,” he said.

Based on the latest bulletin of Phivolcs, lava flow activity from the summit crater of Mayon Volcano formed two lobes of lava that emplaced within 500 meters from the crater and shed lava debris on the Mi-Isi (south) and Bonga (southeastern), and Basud (eastern) gullies that fell within two kilometers from the crater.

State volcanologists said that the lava flow was accompanied by only weak seismic activity and a slight swelling of the upper portions of the edifice prior to lava flow based on electronic tilt data.

According to Bacolcol, there was a decrease in the sulfur dioxide emission from 1,205 tons per day the other day, it went down to 642 tons per day yesterday. He also said that the slow release of lava flow indicates that activity of Mayon Volcano will persist for several months.

“If there is a sudden eruption, the explosive eruption will only last until several weeks but just like we experienced during the 2014 eruption, the activity persisted for several months,” he added.

Bacolcol said that concerned local government units (LGUs) should prepare for the evacuation of residents beyond the six-kilometer danger zone.

“We are advising residents beyond the six-kilometers permanent danger zone, and those within the eight kilometers from the summit to prepare anytime just in case we raise the alert level or even we do not see the need but we will still recommend to increase the radius of those to be evacuated, they should be ready,” he said.

Phivolcs said that at least 21 weak volcanic earthquakes and 260 rockfalls events were recorded in the past 24 hours.

Paul Alanis, Phivolcs resident volcanologist at the Lignon Hill Observatory in Legazpi City, said the eruption is similar to the 2014 eruption pattern that started with the quiet extrusion of lava dome and ended with lava flow. “Although the present eruption of Mayon is still a quiet one, we are not yet discounting the possibility that it could proceed to a violent episode similar to the 2018 eruption,” Alanis told The STAR.

More than 14,000 displaced

More than 14,000 individuals have now been pre-emptively evacuated from within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) of the Mayon volcano in Albay.

As of yesterday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said a total of 3,934 families or 14,360 persons have so far been affected. Of the number, 3,782 families or 13,792 persons were served inside 22 different evacuation centers while 156 families or 584 persons decided to seek temporary shelter elsewhere.

The NDRRMC said a total of 18 cities and/or municipalities in the Bicol region have been placed under a state of calamity because of Mayon’s unrest.

To date, more than P20.1 million worth of assistance has been provided to the affected population in terms of food, distilled water, family food packs, family tents, hot meals, hygiene kits, modular tents, rice, sacks and sleeping kits.

The NDRRMC has given assurance that it is continuously monitoring the situation as concerned member agencies provide basic needs to affected residents.

For its part, the Albay local government clarified it did not order yet any evacuation of residents within the seven-kilometer radius extended danger zone around Mayon.

Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office officer-in-charge Eugene Escobar said that only those within the six-kilometer radius PDZ were ordered to evacuate. “No evacuation yet is ordered for those residing inside the seven kilometer extended danger zone,” he told The STAR.

Albay Gov. Grex Lagman said Advisory 15 – 2023 placed the population inside the 7-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) under “preparedness status,” and not yet evacuation.

“Preparedness status means evacuation will be executed anytime and should bring with them necessities in the evacuation center,” the advisory read.

Aid pours in

Help from abroad has started to pour in for residents of Albay province that were displaced by the quiet eruption of Mayon Volcano.

According to Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the government of United Arab Emirates has donated some 50 tons of different kinds of food items intended for those “most affected by the heightening unrest” of the volcano.

“We thank the UAE government and the royal family for their generosity in sending the much-needed humanitarian aid for those affected by Mayon’s volcanic activities,” he said.

Gatchalian noted the food shipment arrived yesterday morning at the Ninoy Aquino Airport Terminal 2 via Etihad Airways. He added it was UAE Ambassador Mohamed Obaid Salem Alqataam Alzaabi who requested humanitarian aid from his government.

Within 24 hours, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan immediately ordered the shipment of 50 tons of humanitarian aid to the Philippines.

Reminder

The Department of Tourism (DOT) has issued a reminder to the traveling public to monitor current bulletins and maintain an active awareness of local conditions of Mayon Volcano in Albay, Bicol and Taal Volcano in Batangas.

While tourism activities outside the PDZ of Mayon Volcano are permitted, caution is advised due to the Phivolcs advisory indicating a magmatic eruption of the summit lava dome.

All human activities, including tourism-related such as mountain climbing and ATV tours, are strictly prohibited within the PDZ, the DOT said.

In Taal Lake, boating and other tourism-related activities are also not allowed. However, tourism activities outside the PDZ of Taal Volcano are generally considered safe.

The DOT emphasizes that individuals and tourism stakeholders living within the concerned areas should refrain from entering identified high-risk areas and stay updated on emergency information and alerts issued by authorities.

Notice to airmen

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines updated the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) amid the increased volcanic unrest at Mayon, Taal and Kanlaon.

NOTAM B2083/23 was issued for Mayon Volcano on alert level 3 with the increased tendency toward a hazardous eruption. Flight operations are advised to avoid flying close to volcano’s summit as ash from sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft if sucked by its engine.

NOTAM B2082/23 was issued for Taal Volcano (1400N 120593E) on alert level 1 (low-level unrest), flight operations are advised avoiding flying close to the volcano’s summit as airborne ash and ballistic fragment from sudden explosions may pose hazard from the surface to 10,000 feet.

NOTAM B2081/23 was issued for Kanlaon Volcano effective June 12 at 8:50 a.m. to June 13 at 9 a.m. on alert level 1 (abnormal condition), flight operations are advised to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit due to possibilities of sudden and hazardous steam-driven or phreatic eruptions that may pose hazard to aircraft.

Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said that flights PR 2921/2922 and PR 2023/2924 from Bicol pushed through.

Cebu Pacific also said that its flights to Bicol pushed through, with safety precautions. — Cet Dematera, Sheila Crisostomo, Rudy Santos, Michael Punongbayan, Mark Ernest Villeza