• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of the Civil Defense is eyeing more local government units in Negros Oriental 1st district to accommodate the spillover of evacuees from Canlaon City, should Kanlaon volcano erupt again.
OCD Negros Island Region director Donato Sermeno III disclosed on Friday that about 55,000 evacuees from Canlaon City will be affected by another eruption of Kanlaon.
Sermeno said the tent city in Vallehermoso town can only accommodate 660 families, as he raised the possibility that other evacuees can be accommodated in Guihulngan City and neighboring LGUs in the 1st district of Negros Oriental.
OCD Central Visayas Director Joel Erestain earlier stressed the need to prepare for the worst scenario, raising the possibility that Canlaon City could be buried if Kanlaon volcano erupts again.
The national disaster agency sent about 1,350 family tents to Negros in preparation for the setting up of tent cities in Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental, and Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental, which should accommodate La Castellana evacuees.
He also reported that family tents in Himamaylan cannot accommodate 1,911 families, in case of an evacuation from La Castellana, if the volcano erupts again, adding that they will have no choice but to utilize more schools as evacuation centers.
While OCD is preparing for the establishment of tent cities, a total of 282 families, composed of 882 individuals, who are residing outside of the six kilometer permanent danger zones have left the evacuation centers and returned to their homes, Sermeno said.
On the other hand, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that the assistance provided by the national government and its local counterparts to families affected by the eruption has reached P164.48 million.
NDRRMC said P109.95 million was extended to Central Visayas and P54.53 million to Western Visayas.
The assistance consisted of family food packs, sleeping and hygiene kits, laminated sacks, modular tents, generator sets, and financial aid.*
