News from Inquirer.net
77 evacuate from Taal Volcano Island
By Marrah Erika Lesaba
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 10:13:00 04/10/2011
Filed Under: Safety of Citizens, Volcanic activity
BATANGAS CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE) At least 77 persons from 17 families have evacuated from the Taal Volcano Island following the series of volcanic tremors that prompted the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to raise Alert Level 2 on the island.
The evacuees were ferried to the mainland of Talisay town on Saturday night, said Senior Superintendent Alberto Supapo, Batangas police director, on Sunday.
The evacuees were among the 2,210 residents of the island who opted to voluntarily leave starting at 9 p.m. Saturday for fear that the volcano would erupt anytime, said Supapo.
Three families were housed at the Venancio Trinidad Senior Memorial School in Talisay while the remaining 14 families stayed with their relatives in Poblacion, Talisay, Supapo said.
Jing Segismundo, Batangas provincial information officer, said the evacuees are from sitios (subvillages) Tabla, Tibag and San Isidro on Taal Volcano Island.
Segismundo said local authorities would implement forced evacuation if alert level 3 or a higher alert was raised.
Alert level 3 means a probable eruption or strong changes in the eruption patterns in the next 10 days.
Alert level 4 means the volcano will erupt anytime and alert level 5 is issued when the eruption is in progress.
Lorence Baňez, Science Research Assistant for the Taal Volcano observatory, said Alert Level 2, which meant increasing restiveness which could lead to eruption, was raised Saturday after they recorded 31 volcanic quakes between April 8 and 9.
Baňez added they also noted an increase in the carbon dioxide level around the volcano, indicating an “anomalous gas release” from the depth of the volcano.
Elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the air can cause damage to plants. When inhaled, it could cause dizziness, fainting and headache, said Banez.
People and animals could also die of asphyxiation from carbon dioxide inhalation, added Banez.
With the raising of Alert Level 2, the Daang Kastila trail, used mostly be tourists who wanted to get close to the volcano, is strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate, said Baňez.
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This is already alarming!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Alert level at Taal raised
News from PhilStar,
Alert level at Taal raised
By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) Updated April 10, 2011 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) yesterday raised the alert level at the Taal volcano to 2, saying the present activity at the volcano could lead to an eruption.
Phivolcs issued a bulletin yesterday advising the public to stay away from the main crater, the Daang Kastila trail and Mt. Tabaro, site of the deadly eruption in 1965.
These areas, Phivolcs said, “are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate. Breathing air with high concentration of gases can be lethal to humans, animals and even cause damage to vegetation.”
“With this alert status, the present activities could eventually lead to an eruption,” it added.
The volcano monitoring bureau added that magma has also been intruding toward the surface.
Phivolcs added the entire island where the volcano is situated is a permanent danger zone and any settlement is strictly prohibited.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also declared the areas surrounding the volcano off-limits to local and foreign tourists.
NDRRMC executive officer Benito Ramos said the Daang Kastila, an uphill trail toward the volcano’s crater, and Mt. Tabaro have been closed to all visitors.
The NDRRMC increased its level of disaster preparedness in and around Taal lake to alert level 2 following the recommendation of Phivolcs.
“There is no order yet of evacuation but we are doing all these disaster preparation (measures) because the volcano is showing signs of an imminent eruption,” Ramos said.
In the event of an eruption, several coastline municipalities around Taal lake in Batangas, Tagaytay City in Cavite would be affected, Ramos said.
This developed as Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto called a meeting with local officials to draw up an evacuation plan in the event that Taal volcano erupts.
Local officials from Lipa City and the towns of Talisay, Laurel, San Nicolas, Mataas na Kahoy, Tanauan, Agoncillo, Cuenca, Sta. Teresita and Alitagtag attended the pre-disaster preparations with Santos-Recto.
Phivolcs said there were four “significant changes” on the status of the Taal volcano that warranted the increase of the warning, adding that the seismic activity of the volcano continued to worsen.
The number of volcanic earthquakes detected gradually rose and the depths of the plotted quakes were becoming shallow (one to four kilometers). There is also an increase in the number of perceptible quakes.
During the past 24 hours, two quakes were felt at the volcano island with intensities ranging from 2 to 3, one of them accompanied by a rumbling sound.
A total of 21 volcanic quakes were detected by the seismic network in the last 24 hours, Phivolcs said.
Secondly, gas measurements conducted at the Taal main crater lake yielded carbon dioxide emission flux of 1,875 tons per day (t/d) in February 2011 and 4,670 t/d during the last week of March. The remarkable increase in carbon dioxide concentration indicates its release from the magma at depth.
Phivolcs added the result of the ground deformation survey conducted around the volcano island this week showed that the volcano edifice is still inflated as compared to the February 2011 survey.
Phivolcs said steaming activities at the northern and northeast sides of the main crater occasionally intensified.
Sometimes, intensification of steaming activity is accompanied by an audible hissing sound.
Phivolcs said it would closely monitor the activity at Taal volcano and inform the public of any significant development. - With Jaime Laude, Arnell Ozaeta
source
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I hope this would not lead to an eruption...but if the condition of Taal volcano will continue to worsen, I hope there would be enough time to warn the public. I'm sure Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto together with the local officials of the affected areas can handle this...since they already had a meeting to draw up an evacuation plan in the event that Taal volcano erupts.
Alert level at Taal raised
By Evelyn Macairan (The Philippine Star) Updated April 10, 2011 12:00 AM
 |
image source Photo shows the main crater lake of Taal volcano where Phivolcs has raised the alert level from 1 to 2. VAL RODRIGUEZ |
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) yesterday raised the alert level at the Taal volcano to 2, saying the present activity at the volcano could lead to an eruption.
Phivolcs issued a bulletin yesterday advising the public to stay away from the main crater, the Daang Kastila trail and Mt. Tabaro, site of the deadly eruption in 1965.
These areas, Phivolcs said, “are strictly off-limits because sudden hazardous steam-driven explosions may occur and high concentrations of toxic gases may accumulate. Breathing air with high concentration of gases can be lethal to humans, animals and even cause damage to vegetation.”
“With this alert status, the present activities could eventually lead to an eruption,” it added.
The volcano monitoring bureau added that magma has also been intruding toward the surface.
Phivolcs added the entire island where the volcano is situated is a permanent danger zone and any settlement is strictly prohibited.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also declared the areas surrounding the volcano off-limits to local and foreign tourists.
NDRRMC executive officer Benito Ramos said the Daang Kastila, an uphill trail toward the volcano’s crater, and Mt. Tabaro have been closed to all visitors.
The NDRRMC increased its level of disaster preparedness in and around Taal lake to alert level 2 following the recommendation of Phivolcs.
“There is no order yet of evacuation but we are doing all these disaster preparation (measures) because the volcano is showing signs of an imminent eruption,” Ramos said.
In the event of an eruption, several coastline municipalities around Taal lake in Batangas, Tagaytay City in Cavite would be affected, Ramos said.
This developed as Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto called a meeting with local officials to draw up an evacuation plan in the event that Taal volcano erupts.
Local officials from Lipa City and the towns of Talisay, Laurel, San Nicolas, Mataas na Kahoy, Tanauan, Agoncillo, Cuenca, Sta. Teresita and Alitagtag attended the pre-disaster preparations with Santos-Recto.
Phivolcs said there were four “significant changes” on the status of the Taal volcano that warranted the increase of the warning, adding that the seismic activity of the volcano continued to worsen.
The number of volcanic earthquakes detected gradually rose and the depths of the plotted quakes were becoming shallow (one to four kilometers). There is also an increase in the number of perceptible quakes.
During the past 24 hours, two quakes were felt at the volcano island with intensities ranging from 2 to 3, one of them accompanied by a rumbling sound.
A total of 21 volcanic quakes were detected by the seismic network in the last 24 hours, Phivolcs said.
Secondly, gas measurements conducted at the Taal main crater lake yielded carbon dioxide emission flux of 1,875 tons per day (t/d) in February 2011 and 4,670 t/d during the last week of March. The remarkable increase in carbon dioxide concentration indicates its release from the magma at depth.
Phivolcs added the result of the ground deformation survey conducted around the volcano island this week showed that the volcano edifice is still inflated as compared to the February 2011 survey.
Phivolcs said steaming activities at the northern and northeast sides of the main crater occasionally intensified.
Sometimes, intensification of steaming activity is accompanied by an audible hissing sound.
Phivolcs said it would closely monitor the activity at Taal volcano and inform the public of any significant development. - With Jaime Laude, Arnell Ozaeta
source
=========================================
I hope this would not lead to an eruption...but if the condition of Taal volcano will continue to worsen, I hope there would be enough time to warn the public. I'm sure Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto together with the local officials of the affected areas can handle this...since they already had a meeting to draw up an evacuation plan in the event that Taal volcano erupts.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Huge aftershock rattles nerves in Japan
News from The Australian
Huge aftershock rattles nerves in Japan
Rick Wallace, Tokyo correspondent
From: The Australian
April 09, 2011 12:00AM
A MAJOR new quake has claimed four lives in Japan but has had no effect on delicate operations to cool the cripple Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, just 100km from the epicentre.
The quake knocked out power to 4 million homes and dealt another blow to the psyche of stressed residents of quake-and tsunami-ravaged northern Honshu.
At the Onagawa nuclear power plant, close to the epicentre of the quake, water sloshed out of spent fuel rod pools. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the spills were minor and did not lead to elevated radiation readings. Still, the incident reinforced the vulnerability of Japan's nuclear power system to strong earthquakes.
Several other nuclear facilities in northern Honshu were forced to switch to back-up power.
A tsunami warning forced the brief evacuation of workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Operator TEPCO continued to inject nitrogen into the No 1 reactor and maintained efforts to cool the cores of all the reactors.
The quake shook buildings in much of northern Honshu and sent furniture and light fittings crashing to the floor, as well as sparking several fires.
The Japan Meterological Agency said the quake - of a magnitude between 7.1 and 7.4 - was an aftershock linked to the March 11 megaquake. The epicentres were both off the east coast near Sendai.
The warning of a tsunami of between 0.5m and 1m along the northern Honshu coast was revoked a few hours later.
The official death toll from the original March 11 earthquake and tsunami reached 12,731 yesterday, with 14,706 people missing.
Tokyo University earthquake expert Satoko Ohki said aftershocks could follow for up to 20 years from a major quake, although they tended to diminish in size and frequency with time.
Associate Professor Ohki told The Weekend Australian Japan needed to be prepared for a quake of up to magnitude-8 for as long as a year after the March 11 megaquake.
She said aftershocks usually occurred near the epicentre of the main shock, although the focus of new shocks could be anywhere along the northern Honshu coast from Ibaraki to Iwate prefecture.
In the first official glimpse of the impact of the disaster on economic sentiment, Japan's cabinet office released data yesterday showing its "economy watchers" survey fell a record 20 points.
The index, compiled from interviews with taxi drivers, hotel and restaurant staff, showed their confidence about economic conditions dropped from 48.4 before the quake to just 27.7.
However, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index rose more than 1.8 per cent as it emerged the aftershock had not sparked another tsunami or nuclear crisis.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were some "early signs of recovery" at Fukushima, although the situation remained "very serious".
Another nuclear supervisory agency, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, reported that its network of monitoring stations showed that minute traces of radioactive emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi plant had spread across the northern hemisphere within two weeks of the crisis.
SOURCE
================================
Let's continue to pray for Japan...
Huge aftershock rattles nerves in Japan
Rick Wallace, Tokyo correspondent
From: The Australian
April 09, 2011 12:00AM
A MAJOR new quake has claimed four lives in Japan but has had no effect on delicate operations to cool the cripple Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, just 100km from the epicentre.
The quake knocked out power to 4 million homes and dealt another blow to the psyche of stressed residents of quake-and tsunami-ravaged northern Honshu.
At the Onagawa nuclear power plant, close to the epicentre of the quake, water sloshed out of spent fuel rod pools. Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the spills were minor and did not lead to elevated radiation readings. Still, the incident reinforced the vulnerability of Japan's nuclear power system to strong earthquakes.
Several other nuclear facilities in northern Honshu were forced to switch to back-up power.
A tsunami warning forced the brief evacuation of workers at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Operator TEPCO continued to inject nitrogen into the No 1 reactor and maintained efforts to cool the cores of all the reactors.
The quake shook buildings in much of northern Honshu and sent furniture and light fittings crashing to the floor, as well as sparking several fires.
The Japan Meterological Agency said the quake - of a magnitude between 7.1 and 7.4 - was an aftershock linked to the March 11 megaquake. The epicentres were both off the east coast near Sendai.
The warning of a tsunami of between 0.5m and 1m along the northern Honshu coast was revoked a few hours later.
The official death toll from the original March 11 earthquake and tsunami reached 12,731 yesterday, with 14,706 people missing.
Tokyo University earthquake expert Satoko Ohki said aftershocks could follow for up to 20 years from a major quake, although they tended to diminish in size and frequency with time.
Associate Professor Ohki told The Weekend Australian Japan needed to be prepared for a quake of up to magnitude-8 for as long as a year after the March 11 megaquake.
She said aftershocks usually occurred near the epicentre of the main shock, although the focus of new shocks could be anywhere along the northern Honshu coast from Ibaraki to Iwate prefecture.
In the first official glimpse of the impact of the disaster on economic sentiment, Japan's cabinet office released data yesterday showing its "economy watchers" survey fell a record 20 points.
The index, compiled from interviews with taxi drivers, hotel and restaurant staff, showed their confidence about economic conditions dropped from 48.4 before the quake to just 27.7.
However, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index rose more than 1.8 per cent as it emerged the aftershock had not sparked another tsunami or nuclear crisis.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there were some "early signs of recovery" at Fukushima, although the situation remained "very serious".
Another nuclear supervisory agency, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, reported that its network of monitoring stations showed that minute traces of radioactive emissions from the Fukushima Daiichi plant had spread across the northern hemisphere within two weeks of the crisis.
SOURCE
================================
Let's continue to pray for Japan...
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