Central Luzon disaster council on blue alert

THE Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC)-Office of Civil Defense in Central Luzon has raised its alert level to blue following the expected effects of the Taal Volcano eruption.

This came after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) placed Taal Volcano on Alert Level 4 Sunday evening, January 12, which indicates that “hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours or days.”

The RDRRMC’s alert status was effective 1 a.m. Monday, January 13, to monitor the possible effects of volcanic activity in the region and ensure the timely dissemination of warnings and advisories to public, noted RDRRMC-Central Luzon chairperson Ma. Theresa Escolano through the Memorandum Circular No. 001-2020.

Escolano added that a personnel each from Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Bureau of Fire Protection were required to report for duty at the RDRRMC-Central Luzon Operations Center while on blue alert status.

All local DRMMCs were also tasked to ensure the dissemination of early warning advisories to the public, make emergency telecommunications functional and available, and response resources on standby for mobilization.

Taal Volcano, located in Talisay, Batangas about 170 kilometers from the City of San Fernando, started blasting steam and ash up to one kilometer into the sky on Sunday afternoon amid signs of its restiveness in recent months, and later finally erupted.