A Victorias City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office water tanker on Wednesday helps clear La Carlota City’s roads of ash spewed by Kanlaon Volcano.* OCD Western Visayas photo
The grassfire near Kanlaon Volcano’s crater that was ignited during its eruption on Tuesday was extinguished by rain at 9 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, but work was still ongoing to clear numerous areas of ashfall.
The rain may have helped put out the blaze in the volcano’s danger zone, which firefighters could not reach, Mari-Andylene Quintia, resident volcanologist of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in La Carlota City, said.
The fire was ignited by the superheated ballistic projectiles, some as big as a small house, which were thrown out of the crater during Kanlaon’s explosive eruption on Tuesday, she said.
The ballistic projectiles are also believed to have caused pockets of fires seen on the side of the volcano, she said.
CLEARED THROAT
Quintia said Kanlaon Volcano calmed down on Wednesday after “clearing its throat”.
No ash emissions or eruptions were recorded as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, she said.
The volcano may have cleared its vents during Tuesday’s eruption, she said.
HELP ARRIVES
La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on said the Negros Occidental provincial government, Philippine Red Cross, Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Victorias City, Silay City, Cadiz City, Bago City, Kabankalan City and Murcia sent water tankers and firetrucks to his city.
They are being used to clean the ash covered roads and to provide water to about 3,000 residents of barangays Araal and San Miguel whose water supply was affected by the volcano’s ashfall and sulfur emissions, he said.
The Negros Occidental provincial government and Cadiz City have also sent water filtration trucks to provide potable water to the affected residents.
La Carlota City has also purchased a water filtration machine, Jalando-on said.
CAPITOL’S AID
The Negros Occidental provincial government sent water filtration trucks to La Carlota and La Castellana to provide potable water, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said.
They have also provided fuel for fire trucks to flush ash hit areas, and sent food supply for the evacuees, he said.
The Provincial Health Office is also set to conduct medical missions in the areas hit by ashfall.
The Department of Health warned residents against the adverse effects of the ashfall on their health, and stressed the need to wear N95 face masks.*