LEGAZPI CITY — Mayor Noel E. Rosal on Thursday afternoon directed the City Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) to facilitate the decampment of all the evacuees in the city and have them go back to their own homes.
He said based on the aerial survey of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Affairs of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Renato Solidum told him that it is now safe for residents to go back to the areas within the city’s 8-kilometer extended danger zone even if Mt. Mayon has remained under Alert Level 3.
Rosal ordered the pre-emptive evacuation last January 16 of 2,686 families or 12,957 individuals covered by the extended 8-kilometer danger zone due to the continuous phreatic volcanic eruption.
On Jan. 17, the city chief executive directed the Office of the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWDO) and the (CDRRMC) to decongest all the city’s evacuation centers to maintain the cleanliness and prevent spread of diseases.
Rosal said with all evacuees returning to their homes, the classrooms they occupied could now be used again by the public school students.
According to the mayor, once Phivolcs raises Alert Level 4 over Mayon Volcano, the residents will be advised to go back to the evacuation centers. (Connie Calipay/PNA)