The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) evaluated six cities and two municipalities in northern Negros Occidental as potential evacuation sites for residents, particularly those in areas with unoccupied Yolanda Housing Projects, in the event of a new eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
Raul Fernandez, Chairman of Task Force Kanlaon and Director of the OCD in Western Visayas, said that local government units (LGUs) with available National Housing Authority (NHA) projects should conduct an inventory of these housing units to assess their suitability as temporary evacuation centers.
The LGUs under consideration include the cities of Sagay, Cadiz, Escalante, Victorias, Silay, Bacolod, and the municipalities of Manapla and E.B. Magalona.
Fernandez also identified the city of Himamaylan as the “immediate relocation site” for evacuees, particularly those from La Castellana, with Himamaylan National High School serving as a key evacuation center.
As of this writing, Mount Kanlaon remains restive, with Alert Level 3 still in effect.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, maintains a personal blog on Medium, and is the communications officer of Hope Builders Organization Negros Island.