As volcanic activity continues to increase at Mount Mayon in the central province of Albay, thousands of people living near the active volcano have taken shelter in evacuation centers. Officials have warned of health risks from ash and toxic gases as red-hot rocks continue to fall from the rumbling crater. Seismology researchers have recorded at least one volcanic earthquake in the past 24 hours.
More than 12,800 people have been moved to evacuation centers, most from farming villages at or near the foot of the volcano. Rachel Ramirez, a mother-of-two shared her experience, “We’re away from our home, but it’s still better here because it’s too dangerous.” She has been in a school near the town of Daraga that has been converted into an emergency shelter for three days now.
Considered one of the most volatile of the country’s 24 active volcanoes, Mayon is about 330 kilometers (205 miles) southeast of the capital Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has reported that rocks are falling from a disintegrating lava dome being pushed out of the crater by molten material from below the earth. Rocks are now raining down on areas up to two kilometers away and sulfur dioxide emissions had tripled on Saturday.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa has warned that there is a health risk due to inhaling sulfur dioxide gas or particulate matter from ashfalls. On Thursday, the alert system for the volcano had been raised from two to three.
According to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, “With Albay in a state of calamity due to Mayon’s activity, we remind people to follow the recommendations and evacuation instructions of your local governments.” Earthquakes and volcanic activity are common in the Philippines due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide. In recent decades, the most powerful eruption was Mount Pinatubo in 1991 that killed more than 800 people.
Mayon lies in a region that also experiences the rough impact of about 20 typhoons or tropical storms to strike the Philippines each year. These weather disasters often have a devastating effect on farms and often result in the loss of lives, contributing to keeping millions in poverty.
Citation: © 2023 AFP. “Thousands evacuated as Philippine volcano spews ash, rocks” Phys.org. 11 June 2023.
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