6,809 Mayon eruption-threatened families already in 22 evacuation centers

Mayon Volcano eruption on December 29, 2009. Tryfon Topalidis / Wikipedia photo

LEGAZPI CITY –- At least 6,809 families or 31,903 individuals were already at 22 evacuation centers in four towns and two cities of Albay as of 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, Governor Joey Sarte Salceda said, quoting reports from the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO).

Salceda said the evacuees came from 27 villages in these local government units.

These are Guinobatan, 4 villages; Malilipot, 3; Camalig, 6; Daraga, 6; Ligao City, 4; and Tabaco City, 4.

The distribution of the evacuees are as follows: Guinobatan, 1,144 families (5,933) persons; Malilipot, 716 families (2,950 persons); Camalig, 2,286 families (11,875 persons); Daraga, 1,869 families (7,476 persons); Ligao City, 334 families (1,825 persons); and Tabaco City, 460 families (1,844 persons).

Salceda said they have already started distributing rice and other provisions for the evacuees.

“Since what make the farmers keep on going back to their residents are the animals they are tending, we are also evacuating these creatures and we have to budget Php 3 per head per day for their evacuation so families will have no alibi to go home or not to cooperate with the evacuation,” the provincial chief executive said.

He said there are 3,744 carabaos, 2,035 cattle, 5,576 swine, 19,304 poultry and 4,640 dogs in the 40 barangays within the 6-km-radius PDZ.

“And we have no budget,” Salceda admitted.