Possible evacuation around Taal as Alert Level 2 raised —disaster execs

The Batangas Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) is preparing for the possible evacuation of residents living around the Taal Volcano after Alert Level 2 was raised on Tuesday.

Batangas PDRRMO head Lito Castro told GMA News Online that the volcano island remains the only threatened area so far.

“Ang isa pa ho nyan, ‘yung preparedness  natin kung saka-sakaling magkakaroon ng evacuation. Sa ngayon, wala namang advice na i-evacuate ang nasa mainland, kundi kung saka-sakaling magkakaroon,” he added.

According to Castro, municipal governments of some concerned areas have banned their residents from entering the Taal Lake. In some areas, the window hours for fishers to go to the lake have been reduced.

Personnel from the Philippine National Police, the Coast Guard, and local government units of affected areas are monitoring the area, he said.

“Namamalagi ang threatened area ay ang isla ng bulkan. So tinitiyak po natin  walang tao na pupunta sa  isla,” Castro added.

National Disaster Risk Reduction an d Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Mark Timbal said the council is monitoring the situation on Taal.

“Our Regional DRRMC for CALABARZON has already reminded all LGUs around the volcano island to ensure readiness for any possibility: the preparation for evacuation activities, evacuation centers, relief support, etc. integrating the COVID-19 protection protocols,” Timbal told reporters in a message.

On February 16, residents on Taal Volcano Island, which is a permanent danger zone, were forced to evacuate due to the increasing activities of the volcano.

Fisherfolk have been allowed to fish in the Taal Lake from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

On Tuesday, PHIVOLCS raised the alert level on Taal Volcano to Alert Level 2 amid "increasing unrest."

In its latest bulletin, PHIVOLCS said 28 volcanic tremor episodes, four low-frequency volcanic earthquakes, and one hybrid earthquake  at shallow depths of less than 1.5 kilometers beneath Taal Volcano Island were recorded on Taal in the past 24 hours.

Aside from these, volcanic tremors have increased seismic energy compared to previously recorded episodes and ranged between three to 17 minutes. -MDM, GMA News