Central Visayas spared from Kanlaon eruption
Mount Kanlaon, which straddles the provinces of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, made an explosive eruption on December 9, 2024. | Photo from Moises Padilla DRRMO / Facebook
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Central Visayas, where Cebu is located, is safe from any effects of the recent eruption of Mount Kanlaon, the Office of Civil Defense in the region (OCD-7) said.
After consulting with the state weather bureau, the explosive eruption of Kanlaon has no direct impact in the region, said Joel Erastain, OCD-7 director.
“So far westward yung wind so hindi po – wala pong direct affect,” said Erastain in a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Kanlaon made an explosive eruption around 3 p.m. last Monday, Dec. 9, emitting a gray-colored plume with a height of up to four kilometers.
READ: Kanlaon Volcano blast: DOH warns public of potential health hazards
Some residents in western Cebu, particularly in Toledo City that faced Negros island, were able to see and document the eruption from their area.
In the meantime, Erastain said they have started mobilizing their units to provide needed support for areas affected by the eruption, particularly for localities in Negros Occidental and Western Visayas.
“We will be assisting the area command… the area command will be in Negros Occidental kasi mas malaki yung affected po doon,” he explained.
Based on reports from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), at least 26 areas reported suffering from ashfall and smell of sulfur.
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The town of La Castellana was also affected by pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), or flows of dangerous mixtures of hot volcanic gas, ash and fragmented rock.
As of Tuesday, Phivolcs maintained Alert Level 3 over Kanlaon, prompting them to urge local government units within the six-kilometer radius of the volcano to start evacuation.
Additionally, Erastain reiterated Phivolcs’ warning that chances remained high for Kanlaon to have more destructive and explosive eruptions.
“Kung pwede lumikas na, lumikas na po,” he said.
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