Scientists warn of more Mount Mayon eruptions<\/p>\n
LEGASPI, Philippines (AFP): About 43,000 people fled the
\nPhilippines' rumbling Mayon volcano on Friday amid signs that it
\ncould explode for the second day running, officials said.<\/p>\n
The evacuees were packed in some 28 schoolhouses converted
\ninto camps, with officials pleading for donations as supplies
\nwere expected to last only for a week.<\/p>\n
Scientists said superheated lava, volcanic mud and rocks had
\ncrept to about 3.5 kilometers from Mayon's summit since Thursday,
\nwhen it began erupting.<\/p>\n
The flow was not, however, expected to breach a six-kilometer
\nradius danger zone around the 2,462-meter Mayon, the Philippine
\nInstitute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.<\/p>\n
\"Phivolcs expects more explosive activity in the following
\ndays,\" it said and warned people against entering the danger
\narea.<\/p>\n
The volcano erupted three times on Thursday, hurling sulfuric
\nash and rocks some 13 kilometers into the air and triggering
\ndeadly flows of molten debris.<\/p>\n
Disaster officials were placed on alert following warnings
\nfrom weather forecasters of \"moderate to heavy rains\", that could
\nmix with debris to create deadly flows of volcanic mud.<\/p>\n
Phivolcs volcanologist Ed Laguerta said \"explosions ceased
\nsince yesterday. What we are seeing right now is just the flowing
\nof the lava.\"<\/p>\n
He said no agricultural communities were in danger of being
\nburied by lava, which he said would most likely flow into natural
\ngullies and channels on the slopes of Mayon, about 325 kilometers
\nsoutheast of Manila in Albay province.<\/p>\n
Army trucks on Friday continued to ferry villagers fleeing
\ntheir homes.<\/p>\n
Disaster officials said they would only accommodate evacuees
\ncoming from areas directly threatened by Mayon as cramped
\nevacuation camps were slowly being filled to capacity.<\/p>\n
President Gloria Arroyo said she was pleased with the pace of
\nrelief work, and said there was no need for her to get directly
\ninvolved. Provincial officials \"are doing their job very well.<\/p>\n
\"The less we meddle with them the better,\" Arroyo said.
\nProvincial disaster chief Cedric Daep said they were slowly
\nrunning out of funds.<\/p>\n
Provincial spokesmen say supplies had been drained by relief
\noperations following Mayon's earlier eruptions last month.<\/p>\n
Around 46,000 people were evacuated from around Mayon in late
\nJune amid a similar period of volcanic activity.
\nArturo Baria, 64, initially fled his farm in Tabaco town after
\nthe first explosion before dawn on Thursday.<\/p>\n
But ignoring warnings, he left his children at an evacuation
\ncenter to return to his farm with his wife to salvage the
\nfamily's crops and tend to their livestock.<\/p>\n
\"I am afraid to lose my livestock. I have a water buffalo and
\na cow. I can't afford to leave them,\" he said as he harvested
\ntomatoes and stringbeans from the fertile volcanic soil around
\nMayon.<\/p>\n
In many cases, farmers take their families to evacuation
\ncenters but return to their fields at daytime to continue their
\nwork.
\nEmily Armis, 27, one of the farmers' wives left at the centers,
\ncomplained that the converted schoolhouses were too noisy and
\ncongested, had too few toilets and not enough water.<\/p>\n
Lorna Gaveria, 36, another farmer's wife, expressed
\nresignation at the repeated evacuations from the volcano, saying:
\n\"I am sad because we are not enjoying the comforts of home but we
\nare also happy that the government is taking care of us and
\ngiving us foodstuffs.\"<\/p>\n
The cone-shaped mountain has exploded nearly 50 times since
\n1616, the last of which was on June 23.<\/p>\n
It continued to emit smoke, ash and lava for two weeks but
\nceased erupting on July 4, prompting authorities to send
\nresidents home.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/scientists-warn-of-more-mount-mayon-eruptions-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}