THOUSANDS of families were evacuated from the 6-km. permanent danger zone of Mayon Volcano as Albay was placed under a state of calamity following the volcano’s unrest.
Alert level 3 remains over Mayon.
According to Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Mayon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3, with “a possibility of a hazardous eruption.”
He said at least 2,894 families or 10,260 are housed in 16 evacuation centers.
At least 3,000 tents were readied by the Department of Social Welfare and Development for evacuees from the 6-km. permanent danger zone of Mayon.
On Friday, about, 26 families living in Sitio Nagsipit in Bgy. Mariroc, Tabaco City were evacuated from their residence which is within the 6-km. permanent danger zone of Mt. Mayon.
According to DSWD Bicol Regional Director Norman Laurio, the forced evacuation was facilitated by barangay officials of Mariroc and the Tabaco City government.
The affected residents are now being sheltered at the Pawa evacuation center.
Assistant Secretary Marlon Alagao of the DSWD Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) said the 3,000 family tents will be used by the projected 15,000 families living in the expanded 8 to 10-km. danger zone.
Alagao said that on top of the 54,000 family food packs already pre-positioned in Albay, an additional 68,000 FFPs will be sent by the DSWD Central office based on the target of 102,000 FFPs for the province where Mt. Mayon is located.
DSWD Sec. Gatchalian personally visited the evacuation centers in Albay to check on the conditions of the evacuees who came from the 6-km. permanent danger zone of Mt. Mayon.
Gatchalian visited two evacuation centers in Anislag Elementary School in Daraga City where personnel of the Field Office 5 distributed family food packs.
An initial 2,169 families or more than 7,000 persons have already been evacuated to safety and are now temporarily sheltered in public school buildings and previously identified evacuation centers in the municipality of Malilipot and the cities of Tabaco and Daraga.
The forced evacuation started Friday amid Mayon’s unrest.
The DSWD’s Bicol regional office remains on alert and continues to coordinate with the local government units about the situation of Mayon while providing evacuees with all the needed relief goods, as well as non-food items, such as hygiene kits.
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