1.5K families evacuated due to Taal’s increasing unrest

MANILA – The number of families evacuated due to the seismic activities of Taal Volcano has now reached 1,563 or about 5,583 persons, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Citing data from the Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Mark Cashean Timbal, NDRRMC spokesperson, said around 1,076 families or 3,617 individuals are being sheltered in 22 evacuation centers while another 537 families are with their relatives as of Sunday evening.

“Majority of our evacuees come from (the towns of) Laurel and Agoncillo. The count also includes evacuees from municipalities that had voluntary evacuations,” Timbal said.

Aside from Laurel and Agoncillo, other localities in Batangas that had voluntary evacuations due to the rumblings of Taal Volcano include the towns of Taal, Lemery, Balete, Cuenca, Mataas na Kahoy, San Nicolas, Talisay and Tanauan City.

The entire Taal Volcano Island is a Permanent Danger Zone and entry into the island as well as high-risk barangays of Agoncillo and Laurel is prohibited.

Taal Volcano’s SO2 (sulfur oxide) gas emissions Sunday were “anomalously high” at an average of 22,628 tonnes per day, the highest it ever recorded, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

As Alert Level 3 still prevails and the current SO2 parameters indicate ongoing magmatic extrusion at the main crater that may further drive succeeding explosions.