By Mary Judaline Partlow
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Regional Task Force Kanlaon on Tuesday announced the indefinite suspension of entry into the 6 km. extended danger zone at Mt. Kanlaon in northern Negros due to events that could lead to another eruption.
The task force said the suspension during the 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. window takes effect on Wednesday and would remain enforced until further notice.
It said the suspension is due to the “parameters that may be precursors to sudden eruptions,” based on previous experiences.
The task force cited a Kanlaon Volcano Bulletin from 5 a.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday, which reported 31 recorded volcanic earthquakes with sulfur dioxide flux of 1,020 tonnes/day on May 26, with a 700-meter plume, and moderate continuous degassing and drifting northwest.
Seth Cabanas Bariga, assistant information officer for the Incident Command System of Canlaon City, said in an interview that more than 2,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) would be affected by the suspension.
“The number of IDPs staying at evacuation camps in Canlaon City who enter the danger zone during the 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. window varies from day to day,” he said.
Bariga said they are given day passes when they visit their homes and farms and tend to their livestock.
To ensure that they go back to the evacuation centers at the end of the day, safety officers do an inventory and search for those who have yet to return from the danger zone.
Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas has not yet given any guidelines for the evacuees pending a meeting late Tuesday, Bariga said.
Currently, 2,450 individuals or 779 families are in seven evacuation camps, he noted. (PNA)
