Over 7,000 people living in the vicinity of the Taal Volcano have been relocated and are being sheltered in evacuation centers or staying with family and friends, according to the government’s disaster agency on Thursday, only days after the volcano erupted.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) stated in its status report that the 7,237 people equate to 2,047 households from 18 communities (barangays). In 20 evacuation facilities, a total of 1,209 families, or 4,165 people, are sheltered.
About 500 families, or 1,962 people, are temporarily staying with friends or relatives. The NDRRMC also stated that it delivered food packs totaling P817,992.52, medications totaling P197,989.08, pregnancy kits totaling P19,025 and baby kits totaling P6,192. According to the NDRRMC report, the Taal Volcano Network did not identify any volcanic earthquakes, while low-level background tremors have continued since March 29, 2022.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions averaged 6,405 tons per day on March 30, 2022.
On Saturday morning, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) increased the Alert Level to 3, indicating magmatic disturbance, over Taal Volcano after it recorded “a short-lived phreatomagmatic explosion.”
During President Rodrigo Duterte’s “Talk to the People,” however, Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum stated that if the situation continues to improve, the alert level will be reduced in two weeks.
