Lahar threat: Urgent evacuation ordered amid rising Kanlaon hazards

NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The mandatory evacuation order on Sunday, December 15, came just before dawn, urgent and absolute. All families near the foot of Kanlaon Volcano were to leave as heavy rain triggered lahar flows, sending rivers of mud cascading through the towns of Moises Padilla and La Castellana. 

Lahar flowed around midnight on Saturday, December 14, almost a week after Kanlaon’s December 9 eruption had signaled unrest again.

By sunrise, mayors Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo of Moises Padilla and Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Manguilimutan of La Castellana had activated their local disaster response teams. 

In Moises Padilla town, the Intiguiwan River in Barangay Magallon Cadre and the Baji-Baji River in Barangay Biak na Bato were already thick with volcanic debris. Rescuers were dispatched to monitor other waterways as fears mounted of more lahar surges.

With the Kanlaon Volcano’s heightened activity, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Western Visayas issued an urgent evacuation order for all residents within a six-kilometer danger zone.

In a press statement on Sunday, OCD Regional Director Raul Fernandez, who chairs Task Force Kanlaon, directed local governments in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental to complete evacuations by Monday, December 16.

The order affects residents in La Castellana, La Carlota City, Bago City, San Carlos City in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental – all identified as high-risk areas.

The OCD also warned that lahar hazards could impact 13 cities and municipalities across Negros Occidental, endangering 644,487 residents. The agency said an anticipated low-pressure area still outside the Philippine area could worsen the situation with heavy rain, increasing the risk of volcanic debris flows.

Yulo and Manguilimutan expressed relief that the mudflows had not reached the roads, unlike during the June 3 Kanlaon eruption. However, they said monitoring was ongoing.

Police, along with rescuers, are now keeping an eye on rivers and streams in Moises Padilla and La Castellana to watch for more mudflow occurrences.

Yulo and Manguilimutan advised residents near the affected rivers to stay calm but to avoid fishing or consuming fish from the Intiguiwan and Baji-Baji rivers.

As of Sunday, the Task Force Kanlaon reported that 81% of residents in six localities within the extended six-kilometer danger zone around Kanlaon had already evacuated to designated centers. 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) confirmed that 16,268 people or about 4,881 families were being housed in 28 evacuation centers across Negros Occidental.

The evacuees include 2,825 families from La Castellana, 721 from La Carlota City, and 92 from Bago City.

Road closures and the evacuation of livestock were also conducted in La Castellana on Saturday, as part of disaster mitigation efforts.

The Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) declared a “code blue” alert on Friday, amid Kanlaon’s continued restiveness. 

DOH-NIR Director Razel Nikka Hao said the alert level meant the immediate deployment of more health teams, experts, and emergency resources to affected areas.

Manguilimutan said they have been exhausting resources to comply with directives from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and the OCD, including relocating residents, evacuating livestock, and implementing road closures.

To ensure safety within the danger zone, Task Force Kanlaon has implemented stricter protocols, including restricted access from 6 am to 4 pm, the establishment of emergency pick-up points, and barangay-level monitoring of residents’ movements. Internally displaced persons were also required to present access passes along with valid IDs for entry or exit.

Fernandez urged local governments to adopt these measures via executive orders or local policies to ensure proper implementation.

La Castellana police chief Major Rhojn Darell Nigos said roadblocks and checkpoints had been set up in barangays Cabagna-an and Biak na Bato to restrict access to high-risk areas. Public buses are allowed to operate but are rerouted to avoid the danger zone.

Nigos encouraged residents and travelers to comply with these regulations, emphasizing the importance of public cooperation to minimize risks. – Rappler.com