Eruption forces mandatory evacuations, business closures in Canlaon

BACOLOD, Philippines – The Canlaon City government on Negros Island on Tuesday, June 4, closed business establishments and tourism destinations near Kanlaon Volcano as mandatory evacuations started the morning after the eruption.

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Kanlaon Volcano appeared to have calmed down but the local government warned of the risk of flash floods, mudflows, and potential lahar due to the eruption.

Canlaon Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas issued an executive order, directing all residents within three meters of the river downstream to evacuate immediately. 

Cardenas called on residents to cooperate with authorities for their safety, saying city hall has prepared evacuation centers for the affected families.

The city government ordered the immediate closure of all tourism sites within a two to six-kilometer radius from the volcano to protect the lives and well-being of residents and visitors in the city in Negros Oriental.

Roads leading to these sites were also closed to the public until further notice.

One of Cardenas’ executive orders mandates the closure of non-essential businesses within a four-kilometer radius from the volcano due to potential hazards from ashfall, pyroclastic flows, and lahar.

Essential services such as hospitals, pharmacies, utility providers, and other critical infrastructures are still allowed to operate with appropriate safety measures in place.

Mercy Cabiling, a 50-year-old resident of Barangay Bi-ak na Bato, in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental, told Aksyon Radyo-Bacolod that they heard a roaring sound from the shaking ground and then saw a burst of fire in the sky before their surroundings turned black due to the ashfall.

Bi-ak na Bato is one of the villages in La Castellana situated at the foot of Kanlaon Volcano.

The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of La Castellana initially reported that 763 people from 173 families fled and sought refuge in three evacuation centers  on Monday night.

Its initial data showed 63 families or 282 individuals staying at the municipal evacuation center, 110 families or 447 individuals at the La Castellana Elementary School, and seven families or 34 individuals at the Cabacungan Elementary School.

The MDRRMO said the evacuees came from the villages of Robles, Cabagna-an, Mansalanao, Camandag, Sag-ang, Bi-ak na Bato, Masulog, and Cabacungan.

Kanlaon Volcano erupted at 6:51 pm on Monday, sending a large, glowing plume 5,000 meters into the sky, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs). The eruption lasted about six minutes, based on seismic records.

Phivolcs said Kanlaon had shown increased earthquake activity for the past month and had been emitting high levels of sulfur dioxide, averaging about 1,273 tonnes per day this year. – Rappler.com