• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is preparing for ‘Plan Exodus,’ which involves the evacuation of the entire city of Canlaon in Negros Oriental, if the volcano’s eruption continues.
OCD 7 director Joel Erestain announced on Tuesday that discussions have been ongoing with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development since September.
“One of the challenges is to look for land where we can evacuate our countrymen,” Erestain said in a statement.
“But we have to be prepared, because there’s a possibility that that lot will be outside of Canlaon City”, he added.
Erestain emphasized the critical nature of preparing for a potential doomsday scenario.
“It is inevitable that Canlaon will be buried. And we have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Good thing the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) has lands where we could temporarily relocate,” he added.
The OCD is also strategizing for the systematic transportation of residents should alert level 4 be raised, indicating that a hazardous eruption is imminent.
“What we’re looking at as our way out of Canlaon City is the road going to Vallehermoso, a nearby town. There’s a path going to La Castellana, but if you go that route, you are still inside. So that’s not possible. I think there’s also a route toward San Carlos, but that’s not also applicable. Then there’s another one leading to [Don Salvador] Benedicto; we’ve practically checked everything,” Erestain said.
On the other hand, Task Force Kanlaon head Raul Fernandez disclosed that evacuees from high-risk areas in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental cannot return home yet, due to the unrest of the volcano.
Fernandez, who is also the OCD 6 director, said that the move prioritizes safety.
“It is not yet safe considering the volcano continues to manifest magmatic activities,” he said in a Canlaon City press briefing. “There’s always a first time for a major eruption and we don’t want you to be the victims.”
He cited Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption and the succeeding lahar flow, which caused deaths and injuries.
Fernandez said pyroclastic materials from a major eruption could cover a radius of 14 km. or more.
Lahar can move at high speeds, he added.
Edna Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer-designate, said Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas supports the OCD’s decision and is appealing for more provincial and national aid.
Cardenas said preparations are needed to evacuate the entire city in case of Alert Level 4.
The mayor presented a plan that included food, transportation, housing, evacuation sites, communications, education, health, and other necessities.
Cardenas also called on Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria to release P5,000 in cash assistance for each displaced person.
As of Monday, 1,375 families, consisting of 4,406 individuals, were in 10 evacuation centers, while 646 families, or 2,024 individuals, were staying with relatives.
Fernandez said evacuees should register with authorities, and could visit their farms during the daytime, but must return to the evacuation camps by 4 p.m.
He said this would make it easier for emergency responders to locate them during a daytime eruption.* with PNA reports
