Taal Volcano calms down, evacuees return home
Credit to Author: Dempsey Reyes| Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2020 16:16:47 +0000
RESIDENTS of towns and cities in Batangas province have started going home as
Taal Volcano showed fewer signs of a possible eruption, prompting volcanologists to lower the Alert Level from 4 to 3.
But residents of Agoncillo and Laurel were not allowed to return home. The two towns were earlier placed under lockdown for being within the danger zone.
Gov. Hermilando Mandanas, however, warned returning residents to remain vigilant because the volcano could erupt anytime.
“There’s a possibility that the volcano may still erupt and we should still be ready to evacuate in one hour,” he said in a news briefing.
The governor said residents of Alitagtag, Balete, Cuenca, Lemery, Lipa City, Malvar, Mataas na Kahoy, San Nicolas, Sta. Teresita, Taal, Talisay and Tanauan City were free to return to their homes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) lowered the alert status of Taal Volcano on Sunday, saying the volcano showed fewer signs of a hazardous eruption.
Level 4 means an eruption is imminent.
There were fewer earthquakes, while steam and gas emissions had weakened and ground deformation at the caldera and in the island had decelerated, Phivolcs said.
It clarified, however, that while the alert level was lowered, the threat of a hazardous eruption had not disappeared.
At Alert Level 3, “sudden steam-driven and even weak phreatomagmatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, ashfall and lethal volcanic gas expulsions can occur and threaten areas within TVI (Taal Volcano island) and nearby lakeshores,” Phivolcs said.