Within 24 hours, the Taal volcano eruption generated 500-meter tall lava fountains that dispersed ash and produced flashes of volcanic lightning.
Expect more activity in the coming days, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) says in its current update on the eruption.
As of Tuesday, Alert Level 4 still remains in effect over Taal Volcano, according to Phivolcs, which means that hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days.
As of this morning, the volcanology institute strongly recommended the total evacuation of Taal Volcano Island and areas at high risk to pyroclastic density currents and volcanic tsunami — which is an area within a 14-kilometer radius from the Taal main crater.
Amelia Barrio, a Cabuyao, Laguna resident, shared with PNC her experience as a resident of one of the communities within the area. Cabuyao is part of the Batangas, Laguna region — an area most affected by the eruption of the volcano.
“We feel pain in the throat and chest. For now, we started cleaning the roof to remove the thick accumulation of ash. We can see the plume of smoke from here. After the explosion, you can see the sky darkening,” Barrio said.
Logan Reyes, host of K57’s The Breakdown, remains stranded in Manila. While he observed that activity in the city has returned to normal, the atmosphere was different earlier this week.
“When we got to the airport, it just smelled bad. All the flights were canceled. But there was no official announcement. There was no employee going around. Really, it was the passengers spreading the word,” Reyes said.
He added: “It was really crowded and a lot of stress. A lot of emotions. We see people crying because we really didn’t know what to do. We really didn’t know what was going on or what the next step was,” Reyes added.
As of Tuesday morning, Phivolcs reported heavy ashfall from the ongoing continuous activity of over the municipalities of Lemery, Talisay, Taal, and Cuenca, Batangas.
The Philippine Seismic Network has also recorded a total of 212 volcanic earthquakes in the Taal region as of 2 a.m., Tuesday.
According to Phivolcs, such intense seismic activity probably signifies continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the volcano, which may lead to further eruptive activity.
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