Mayon lahar alert up

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines — People living on the slopes of Mayon Volcano and nearby river channels have been alerted against lahar flow now that  the rainy season has started.

State seismologists reminded residents to avoid river channels and lahar- prone areas in the southern and eastern sectors during bad weather.

Ed Laguerta of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said lahar sediments could flow toward new areas, as some old channels are filled with recently ejected volcanic materials.

“We know where these deposited materials are right now. But we could not tell exactly as to what directions they would be carried down in case of heavy downpour,” Laguerta told The STAR yesterday.

He said they submitted to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Bicol and Albay public safety and emergency management office a new lahar mapping and an estimate of volcanic materials in different channels and gullies around Mayon.

In its recent eruption episodes, Mayon discharged around 65 million cubic meters of volcanic materials,  13 million cubic meters of these are potential lahar sediments.

“These 13 million cubic meters are loose volcanic materials that can be mobilized into lahar flows once mixed with torrential rains,” Laguerta said.

The OCD-Bicol earlier reported that some 80,000 residents around Mayon might be evacuated due to lahar threat.