Tag Archives: Philippines

90,000 flee Philippine volcano stretching relief camps

The number of Filipinos fleeing from the erupting Mayon volcano to safe zones has swelled to nearly 90,000, officials said Monday, worsening a sanitation crisis in the already stretched relief camps. President Rodrigo Duterte flew to the central city of Legazpi on Monday to assess the disaster zone, some two weeks after the country’s most active volcano began belching spectacular but potentially lethal ash columns, lava and rocks. Continue reading 90,000 flee Philippine volcano stretching relief camps

Philippines braces for Typhoon Koppu

Manila (dpa) – Philippine authorities on Friday prepared evacuation plans and deployed emergency teams and relief supplies as Typhoon Koppu barrelled towards the country’s north-eastern coast. Koppu was packing maximum winds of 130 kilometres per hour (kph) and gusts of up to 160 kph as it moved west at a speed of 15 kph, the weather… Continue reading Philippines braces for Typhoon Koppu

At Least 7 Perish As Typhoon Goni Slams Philippines

At least seven people were killed and two missing Saturday after typhoon Goni battered the northern Philippines with strong rain and winds that triggered landslides and flooding, authorities reportedly said. The typhoon, which has slightly weakened, is expected to move away from the country without making a landfall. Among the deceased were two brothers who reportedly… Continue reading At Least 7 Perish As Typhoon Goni Slams Philippines

Philippine volcano eruption possible within days

With glowing red lava now flowing regularly down its sides and seismic activity ‘dramatically increased,’ an eruption of the Mayon Volcano in the Philippines is now considered imminent. Activity on the mountain has steadily increased over the past week and prompted the evacuation of nearly 45,000 area residents.

Today the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert level for the volcano to level four which means an eruption is possible within days. A level four alert is second to only level five which would involve an actual eruption taking place.

In its latest alert, the service said “seismic activity dramatically increased in number and size” noting that nearly 2,000 volcanic quakes had been detected. Glowing, red hot lava was easily seen flowing down the slopes of the mountain at night and booms and rumbling were heard. The lava flow now extends more than three miles down the mountain and sulfur dioxide (SO2) is being emitted at a rate of more than 6,000 tons per day.

Emphasizing the danger, PHIVOLCS said in its warning that “a hazardous explosive eruption is possible within days.” With the heightened alert level, it is expected that the evacuation radius will be extended out to five miles from the mountain possibly impacting thousands of more people.

There's more to this story on the Denver Weather Examiner's site!For the amazing photos of the volcano’s recent activity and more details on the possible eruption, please visit the Natural Disasters Examiner.