Families affected by Mayon unrest now at 5K

The number of families affected by the series of phreatic explosions and lava flow spawned by Mayon Volcano has now climbed to 5,318 families which is equivalent to 21,823 persons as of 2 a.m. Tuesday. (Photo by Glorius Gaduang/Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0)

MANILA — The number of families affected by the series of phreatic explosions and lava flow spawned by Mayon Volcano has now climbed to 5,318 families which is equivalent to 21,823 persons as of 2 a.m. Tuesday.

This was disclosed by National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director Ricardo Jalad in the above-mentioned update.

The affected families are from 25 barangays in Camalig, Guinobatan, Ligao City, Daraga, Tabaco City and Malilipot.

Families being served in 18 evacuation centers are now placed at 4,134 which is equivalent to 16,887 persons while families being aided outside these facilities are at 1,184 or 4,936 individuals.

Also, Jalad said the NDRRM Operations Center was placed on ‘blue alert’ effective 8 a.m. Monday for possible contingencies.

As this develops, NDRRMC spokesperson Mina Marasigan said that evacuation of all civilians from the seven-kilometer danger zone had been completed.

This includes livestock thus, alleviating the need of residents to go back. She added that only police officers are inside the seven-kilometer danger zone to prevent looters and other criminal elements from entering.

Law enforcers were also at hand to prevent evacuees from returning, she added.