Mt. Bulusan erupts anew
BLANKET OF ASH Ash blankets homes, farms and roads in the towns of Irosin and Juban in Sorsogon province after the second phreatic or steam-driven eruption of Mt. Bulusan this week, as seen in this drone shot from the inspection of the provincial government on Wednesday. —Photo courtesy of Sorsogon Sorsogon Provincial Information Office
LEGAZPI CITY, ALBAY, Philippines —Government personnel in Sorsogon province ordered another clearing operation and evacuation of residents on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the ashfall from the second phreatic (steam-driven) eruption of Mt. Bulusan this week.
Fritzie Michelena, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) in Irosin, said 65 families, or 211 people, from the villages of Cogon and Monbon were evacuated to Gallanosa National High School and the town’s evacuation shelter after the 77-minute phreatic eruption that started 7:43 p.m. on Tuesday.
Michelena said the evacuations were prompted by health concerns linked to ash exposure.
READ: Heavy ashfall affects thousands in Sorsogon as Bulusan erupts
“When the volcano erupted, there was zero visibility because of the ashfall. Once the areas are cleared through flushing, especially along the highway, we will decamp them,” she told the Inquirer in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
During the first phreatic eruption on Monday, six residents from Barangay Cogon in Irosin and 276 residents from Barangay Puting Sapa in Juban, on the western flank of the volcano, were also evacuated but allowed to return home on Tuesday afternoon.
In total, thousands of residents across 65 villages in eight Sorsogon towns were affected by ashfall.
Rumbling sounds
In a bulletin issued on Tuesday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the eruption’s ash plumes likely drifted southwest of the volcano. Rumbling sounds were reported in the villages of Cogon and Bagsangan in Irosin.
As of 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Phivolcs had recorded 54 volcanic earthquakes. Sulfur dioxide emissions were measured at an average of 548 tons per day, well above the baseline of 200 tons.
Ashfall reaching up to a centimeter thick was reported in the Irosin villages of Cogon, Tinampo, Monbon, Bolos, Gulang-Gulang, Gabao, Bulawan and Macawayan.
In Bulan town, affected villages included Somagongsong, Beguin, Aquino, San Francisco, Calomagon, Inararan, Cadandanan, Dolos, Zone 7 and Polot. In Juban, ash traces were also observed in Barangay Guruyan.
Salvador Mendoza, the province’s information officer, said that most areas affected by Monday’s ashfall had already been flushed, but cleanup teams were redeployed for a second round of clearing after Tuesday’s eruption.
Teams from the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police and other government agencies were tapped to help operations following the eruption on Tuesday night. More than 35,000 face masks were distributed to residents and motorists along the Maharlika Highway in Juban and Irosin.
Arvee Lodronio, disaster risk reduction and management office chief of Juban, reported that only Barangay Guruyan and a portion of Barangay Buraburan were affected during the Tuesday eruption.
“No residents were displaced,” he said.
However, authorities have begun identifying individuals at risk—especially those with medical conditions—for targeted support and to minimize exposure to ash-affected areas.
On Monday, local officials in Juban reported an initial P675,000 in agricultural damage. The figure is expected to rise as assessments continue.
Mt. Bulusan remains under alert level 1, indicating low-level unrest with an increased likelihood of further phreatic eruptions.
