NDRRMC to LGUs: Review contingency plans as Mayon under Alert Level 2

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) on Monday said responders and local governments have to review their contingency plans while Mayon Volcano is placed under Alert Level 2.

At a public briefing, NDRRMC spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro said the council is in heightened monitoring of the situation in Mayon.

“Kailangan siguraduhin natin na handa lahat ng mga responders o LGU for that matter, para mag-react tayo in case na i-elevate pa or may further activities,” he said.

“We have to ensure that all our responders and LGUs are ready so we can react in case the situation in Mayon elevates or shows further activities.)

“So kailangan i-revisit natin yung contingency plan, mag-stockpile na tayo ng mga resources and of course mag-conduct tayo ng early assessment habang nasa Alert Level 2 pa lang siya,” he added.

(So we need to revisit the contingency plan, stockpile resources, and of course conduct early assessment while the alert level is still at Alert Level 2 only.)

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Friday raised the alert status of Mayon Volcano due to an increasing level of unrest.

In an advisory, PHIVOLCS said it placed the volcano in Albay province under Alert Level 2 due to its “current unrest driven by shallow magmatic processes that could eventually lead to phreatic eruptions or even precede hazardous magmatic eruption.”

The volcano was placed under Alert Level 1 in August after it exhibited “low-level unrest.” — RSJ, GMA News