Mayon Volcano in the Philippines, the most active volcano in the country, has started spewing lava gently down its slopes, causing concern among tens of thousands of people who may have to evacuate should a violent and life-threatening eruption occur. More than 12,600 people from poor farming communities situated within a 3.7-mile radius of the volcano’s crater have already moved to emergency shelters since volcanic activity heightened last week. Nonetheless, thousands of others remain within the permanent danger zone below Mayon, an area that has long been declared unsuitable for human habitation, but where generations of people have lived and farmed since they have nowhere else to go.
The high-risk zone around Mayon may be extended should the eruption worsen, and people within the expanded danger zone should be prepared to evacuate to emergency shelters. If the eruption turns perilous, the alert level for Mayon could rise to level five – the highest alert level in a five-step system, which would confirm that a violent and life-threatening eruption is underway.
Seismic activity in the Philippines is nothing new, though. In 2018, Mayon erupted violently, displacing tens of thousands of villagers, while in 1814, the volcano’s eruption resulted in the death of over 1,000 people and buried numerous villages. Despite the volatile nature of volcanoes in the Philippines, many of Albay’s people have come to accept the volcano’s occasional violent outbursts as part of their daily lives.
Mayon’s eruption highlights the potential threats from natural disasters in the Philippines. The country is frequently battered by around 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year, and it is positioned on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an encircling fault where most of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic eruptions happen. In 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo north of Manila resulted in some of the most significant volcanic eruptions of the 20th century, killing hundreds of people.
The current threat from Mayon highlights the need for caution and preparedness regarding natural hazards in the Philippines. Thus, authorities are taking measures to protect not only people but also farm animals from the volcano’s potential eruptions. They have administered deworming medicine, vitamins, and identifying tags to the ears of several cows and buffaloes to aid monitoring while relocating them to a safer distance. Nonetheless, local entrepreneurs have built their fortune on tourism, gravel, sand, and ornamental rocks around the Mayon Volcano area.
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