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La Castellana eyeing other areas for evacuees

• GILBERT P. BAYORAN

The Incident Management Team of TF Kanlaon conducted an ocular inspection and situational awareness assessment within the permanent danger zone in Brgy. Cabagnaan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental, where farmers were harvesting their vegetables.* OCD6 photo

The municipal government of La Castellana in Negros Occidental, which is among those expected to be badly affected in the case of another eruption of Kanlaon volcano, is looking for more areas in the province that can accommodate its 37,000 residents.

Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan disclosed yesterday that they are looking into the cities of Silay and Talisay, as well as Bacolod City, to shelter La Castellana residents.

The Office of the Civil Defense is putting up a tent city in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, to accommodate the spillover of evacuees from La Castellana.

Because of possible lahar threats, areas being considered for evacuation will not likely be in Himamaylan City and neighboring Binalbagan town.

The OCD identified 38 villages in La Castellana, La Carlota and Bago cities, Pontevedra, Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, to be at risk of pyroclastic flows should Kanlaon Volcano erupt.

Task Force Kanlaon chaired by Raul Fernandez, who is also the OCD 6 regional director, will meet today with local officials of La Castellana and Moises Padilla, Canlaon City, and the cities of La Carlota and Bago, who will present their respective contingency plans in case Alert Level 4 is raised at Kanlaon volcano.

Fernandez said they want to assess the preparedness of each of the LGUs, and to identify gaps where further assistance is needed.

Mangilimutan said that if the volcano erupts, La Castellana will need more vehicles to transport its 37,000 evacuees.

We have a memorandum of agreement with transport companies to help ferry the evacuees, she said citing that the Yanson Group of Bus Companies that operates Ceres Liner is the biggest one, along with other privately owned minivans, on top of trucks in the town’s upper barangays, and those owned by the LGU.

With the 37,000 people that we will need to evacuate, Mangilimutan said the available transportation will still not be enough.

Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, administrator of the Negros Occidental provincial government, said they are looking into unoccupied Yolanda housing units as relocation sites for evacuees.*

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