• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is preparing for Oplan Exodus, which involves the evacuation of the entire city of Canlaon in Negros Oriental, as Mt. Kanlaon continues to erupt.
OCD 7 Director Joel Erestain announced on Tuesday that discussions have been ongoing with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development since September of last year.
“One of the challenges is to look for land where we can evacuate our countrymen,” Erestain, in a statement, said.
“But we have to be prepared because there’s a possibility that the land will be outside of Canlaon City,” he added.
Erestain emphasized the critical nature of preparing for a potential doomsday scenario.
“It is inevitable that Canlaon will be buried. We have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Fortunately, the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) has lands where we could temporarily relocate,” he said.
The OCD is also strategizing for the systematic transportation of residents should Alert Level 4 be raised, indicating that a hazardous eruption is imminent.
“What we’re looking at as our way out of Canlaon City is the road going to Vallehermoso, a nearby town. There’s a path going to La Castellana, but if you go that route, you are still inside. So that’s not possible. I think there’s also a route toward San Carlos, but that’s not applicable either. Then there’s another one leading to (Don Salvador) Benedicto; we’ve practically checked everything,” Erestain said.
On Monday, data from the OCD showed that more than 46,000 individuals have been displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
Citing a report of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the OCD said a significant degassing from the volcano was detected on Jan. 4. It triggered an emergency alert warning message disseminated to the entire island of Negros.
The ongoing volcanic activity has affected 12,223 families, composed of 46,781 individuals, in Western and Central Visayas, the OCD report showed.
At present, there are 4,128 families (13,454 persons) sheltered in 34 evacuation centers, while an additional 2,351 families (7,458 persons) have sought refuge in other areas. | GB
