Sorsogon - The Sorsogon Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (SPDRRMC) has heightened its alert status following reports of increased volcanic activity at Mount Bulusan from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
According to Philippines News Agency, Chief of the Sorsogon Provincial Information Office, during a Wednesday interview, detailed proactive plans have been activated to protect residents potentially impacted by the volcano's unrest. Despite Mount Bulusan currently being under Alert Level 1, which signals low-level unrest with a heightened chance of steam-driven or phreatic eruptions, local disaster response preparations are underway.
Mendoza detailed that Governor Edwin Hamor has directed the PDRRMC and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officers from Casiguran, Juban, Irosin, Bulusan, Barcelona, and Gubat to devise comprehensive plans and responses. These include evacuation procedures, establishing emergency shelters, mobilizing medical teams, and arranging resources for areas that might be affected. The governor also instructed for firetrucks to be positioned strategically in anticipation of potential ash falls and for all SPDRRMO assets to be on standby.
Emphasizing the provincial government's commitment to citizen safety, Mendoza relayed the governor's call for a proactive disaster management approach and effective collaboration among all concerned agencies. The SPDRRMO has readied a total of 71 evacuation centers outside the six-kilometer danger zone in the towns of Casiguran, Irosin, and Juban, as per their latest data.
Phivolcs has issued a reminder to the public and local government units that entering the four-km radius permanent danger zone around Mount Bulusan is strictly prohibited.