NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal (Screengrab from Laging Handa briefing)
MANILA – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said its contingency measures are well prepared for a possible prolonged unrest of the Taal Volcano.
"Kasi nung 2020 tapos 2021 nagkaroon ng activity itong si Taal ay napaghandaan na po natin, meron po tayong contingency plans for the Taal emergency at lahat po ng mga leksyon na natutunan natin dun sa mga nakaraang mga operations natin ay ina-apply po natin ngayon (Taal has been quite active last 2020 up to 2021 and we have been able to prepare, we have contingency plans ready for the Taal emergency and a lot of lessons, we have learned from our past operations there, are being utilized right now)," NDRRMC spokesperson Mark Timbal said in Laging Handa briefing Tuesday.
Timbal also said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) will be closely monitoring the volcano's activity for two weeks.
He added that this timeframe allowed them to plan an arrangement for the evacuees which is good for more than two weeks, in case they will need to stay in evacuation centers.
Timbal said members of the uniformed and law enforcement services like the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, and the Philippine Coast Guard, are always ready for deployment to assist them in evacuation activities.
Personnel from the Department of Health and Department of Social Welfare and Development have also been deployed to check on the health condition of evacuees and manage the situation in evacuation facilities.
As of Tuesday, Timbal said 1,142 families are now staying in 17 evacuation centers.
These numbers are equivalent to 3,771 persons, he added. While another 265 families or 1,203 individuals are staying with friends and relatives in Batangas.
Local government units affected by Taal Volcano's ongoing magmatic unrest include those of Agoncillo, Balete, Cuenca, Laurel, Lemery, Talisay and San Luis, Timbal said.
He also assured the public that there are no more people on the Taal Volcano Island while efforts are ongoing to convince residents in high-risk barangays to leave their homes. (PNA)
