ALMOST 14,500 families composed of more than 55,000 individuals have taken temporary shelter in 59 evacuation centers as of yesterday morning, Jan. 24, as authorities extended the danger zone around Mayon Volcano to a nine-kilometer radius while the alert level stayed at four out of five. The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council Response Cluster led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said another 1,395 families or 6,165 persons have also been evacuated and are staying with relatives in nearby safe areas. DSWD Regional Director Arnel B. Garcia said relief operations are continuing and two tents have been set up at the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital to address the possible influx of patients affected by the volcanic ash spewing from the volcano. Mayon remained highly active as of yesterday afternoon. Between Tuesday to Wednesday morning alone, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) monitored five episodes of “intense but sporadic lava fountaining from the summit crater” lasting between seven minutes to an hour and 24 minutes. “The lava fountains reached 500 meters to 600 meters high and generated ash plumes that reached 3 kms to 5 kms above the crater,” Phivolcs reported.

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