One cannot outrun a volcanic eruption and get to safety in time, a Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) official warned on Tuesday.
Residents living near Kanlaon Volcano should not be complacent and must avoid entering the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), Ma. Antonia Bornas, chief of the Volcano Monitoring and Eruption Prediction Division of PHIVOLCS, said on Tuesday, May 5.
“When we say avoid the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), we mean it day to day, because any time there could be an eruption,” she said.
She also said residents living within the Pyroclastic Density Current (PDC) hazard zones outside the PDZ should also be prepared to evacuate at any time.
“We must be prepared at all times for a possible PDC explosion at Kanlaon,” she said.
The problem at Kanlaon is very unique, the areas at high risk are where the major roads are located, so it is important to evacuate before the PDC strikes, Bornas pointed out.
A PDC explosion refers to a high-speed, gravity-driven avalanche of hot gas, ash, and volcanic rocks (tephra) that rushes down the slopes of a volcano following an explosive eruption or the collapse of a lava dome.
Kanlaon, which is under Alert Level 2, has been under long-term unrest that indicates it is building up to an eventual magmatic eruption, she said.
The monitoring parameters of Kanlaon are high, she said, citing volcanic earthquakes and sulfur dioxide emissions in the last few days that have been higher than the long-term average, and ground deformation continues.
Kanlaon has also had moderately explosive eruptions and increased ash emissions in recent months, Bornas pointed out.*
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