• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
In the worst-case scenario of another eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) anticipates a shortage of evacuation centers.
Task Force Kanlaon chief Raul Fernandez, who is also the OCD-Western Visayas regional director, urged the unaffected local government units to adopt a barangay, whose population would be affected, in case the alert level goes up from 3 to 4 category.
Fernandez, who attended the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) InfoPress activity in Bacolod City yesterday, said the Regional Incident Management Team has reached out to the local government units of Himamaylan, Kabankalan, Talisay, Victorias, Silay, Bacolod, San Carlos and Cadiz to accommodate internally displaced persons (IDPs).
The OCD also coordinates with the 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.
About 48,000 families or 100,000 individuals would be affected under Alert Level 4.
In a statement, OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said 300 family tents have been established in the “Himamaylan Tent City”, which is now ready to provide shelter to evacuees.
While the tent city is being prepared, the installation of essential utilities is underway to ensure a safe environment for families displaced by the 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,” Nepomuceno said.
The OCD has yet to approve the contingency plan of La Castellana for the evacuation of its residents should the Kanlaon activity escalate as the LGU insists that the affected residents should not be evacuated outside of the town, stressing that its two barangays are 16 kilometers away from the volcano.
Fernandez said the space in barangays of Nato and Talaptap is not enough for 10,000 residents, noting also the lack of facilities for IDPs.
“On our part, we just prepare, in case there is a spillover of evacuees,” the OCD official added, but they will also try their best to persuade the mayor to heed their call.
More than two months after the explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Dec. 9, some 3,871 families, composed of 12,446 individuals, who are residing within the six- kilometer permanent danger zone, are staying in evacuation centers and in other shelters as of Feb. 19, based on the Department of Social Welfare and Development data. | GB
