Portalets and folding beds are among the immediate needs in the towns of La Castellana in Negros Occidental and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, as the number of evacuees due to Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest continues to rise.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has listed several urgent needs in La Castellana, including food packs, chlorinators, aqua tabs, wash kits, hygiene kits, folding beds, sleeping kits and masks.
A chlorinator is a device used to add chlorine to drinking water, helping to eliminate parasites, bacteria and viruses.
Members of the OCD’s Rapid Deployment Team have conducted water filtration operations to identify potential water sources in Canlaon City in case a larger-scale evacuation is required.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that as of Sunday, 19 January, a total of 12,286 families, or at least 46,926 individuals, have been affected by the unrest, with 3,123 families currently taking shelter in evacuation centers.
Nearly P4.33 million worth of assistance has been distributed across both Western and Central Visayas.
Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo and La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan highlighted the significant daily food costs for evacuees, with at least P500,000 spent each day to feed those displaced.
“Spending more than half a million pesos every day just for the food of evacuees is no joke,” La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan shared.
From Saturday to Sunday, Phivolcs recorded 12 volcanic earthquakes, accompanied by the emission of 2,302 tonnes of sulfur dioxide (SO2).
A volcanic plume also rose 150 meters above the volcano’s crater and drifted southwest.
Kanlaon Volcano remains at Alert Level 3, though the government’s seismological agency warned that an elevation to Alert Level 4 is likely.