Ten localities and 84 barangays surrounding Kanlaon Volcano were affected following its eruption on Monday night, June 4.
More than 800 passengers from different airline companies at the Bacolod-Silay Airport were also stranded Tuesday morning, June 4, until the Civil Aviation of the Philippines advised the resumption of flights later at 11 a.m., Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said.
Potable water and food are also needed by the affected families, especially in La Castellana, its mayor, Rhumyla Manguilimutan said, as water sources have been affected by the ashfall from Kanlaon.
As of press time, most of the affected families who evacuated at the height of the explosion Monday night were able to return to their respective houses, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office head Chiqui Gonzales said.
About 200 families from some barangays in La Castellana were still at the evacuation center as of press time, Gonzales said.
The PSWDO immediately sent food packs and personal hygiene kits to the affected families, Gonzales added.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that a steam-driven or phreatic eruption in Kanlaon began at 6:51 p.m. on Monday, June 3.
The volcano then produced a gray-colored plume with a height of 5,000 meters.
Phivolcs said that the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council then put the province under Blue Alert Status.
The volcano calmed, but it continued to spew white plumes until Tuesday.
Localities affected by the volcanic eruption are Bago City, Pontevedra, La Castellana, and La Carlota City, while ashfalls reached some areas of Murcia, Don Salvador Benedicto, and San Carlos Carlos City.*