The Philippines has evacuated over 12,000 people that are living on the foot of the country's most active volcano after Mount Mayon showed signs of a possible eruption.
Mount Mayon, popular for its almost perfect cone shape and located in the central Bicol region which is known for growing coconuts, has recently caused several quakes and rockfalls, which could mean that an eruption may be coming within weeks. In addition, the crater of the volcano is glowing red, caused by hot volcanic gases and molten lava.
"We are now raising the alert status of Mayon Volcano from alert level 2 to 3," said Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) head Renato Solidum.
The alert level for Mount Mayon was raised to "critical" after the recording of an escalation of unrest through a period of 15 hours. There were 39 recorded incidents of hot rocks falling in the volcano's summit area, along with 32 recorded low-frequency volcanic earthquakes.
According to Joey Salceda, the governor of the Albay province, the over 12,000 people were forcibly evacuated from their homes to be transferred to a much safer location.
"What the alert level 3 did was to fast-track the preparation to evacuate 12,000 families in the 6-8 km extended danger zone," Salceda said.
The evacuated people will be relocated to a temporary shelter for as long as three months, with more people that are living in areas facing the southeastern crater rim of Mount Mayon to be moved to safer locations if the volcano erupts.
Phivolcs said that people should be kept from living in the permanent danger zone around the volcano, which includes the area extending 6 kilometers from the crater and 7 kilometers from the southeastern flank. However, people wander into the area to live in or to farm as volcanic activity subsides.
Soldiers have been deployed to the areas deemed dangerous surrounding the volcano, preventing people from returning to their homes.
If Mount Mayon erupts, the event is not expected to have an impact on the farming output of the Philippines, as the farmers that are tilling the areas around the volcano are only doing so for their own consumption. In addition, there is no major industry located around the area.
However, an eruption could subsequently boost tourism to the area once the disaster settles, just as what happened the last time that the volcano erupted back in 2009.
Mount Mayon has nearly erupted about 50 times over the last 600 years. The most destructive Mount Mayon eruption ever recorded occurred in February 1841, resulting in 1,200 fatalities and the burial of a town by flowing lava.
