• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Office of the Civil Defense wants the detailed contingency plans of local government units, especially La Castellana in Negros Occidental, in case of another eruption of Kanlaon volcano.
Task Force Kanlaon chief Raul Fernandez, the regional director of OCD Western Visayas, said that about 40,000 residents of La Castellana will need to be evacuated if the volcano erupts.
Fernandez said La Castellana and other LGUs will present their respective contingency plans to the Regional Incident Management Team on Friday, to assess their readiness, and the execution of their plans.
In the case of La Castellana, he said they made some suggestions and initial revisions to their contingency plans, before it is presented, noting that they have to evacuate thousands of people in case of another eruption.
The tent city in Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, is being eyed as an evacuation center for La Castellana residents, and Vallehermoso in Negros Oriental, for Canlaon City evacuees.
The OCD has activated its review team to look at the contingency plans of the LGUs concerned.
We will also assess their readiness and know the gaps, so that agencies can support the different plans and programs of the LGUs if the alert level escalates, Fernandez said.
As of January 22, the Department of Health in Negros Island Region reported that there are 3,039 families composed of 9,660 persons staying in 22 evacuation centers.*