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Add to Preferred SourcesAuthorities are continuing to evacuate people living within a 14-kilometre radius of the erupting Taal volcano in the Calabarzon region of the Philippines, with more than 38,000 people relocated thus far to 198 evacuation centres.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the International Organization for Migration have teams in the field visiting evacuation centres, and supporting authorities by reviewing needs. The Government has requested UN support for the procurement of suitable face masks.
More than 355 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded in the locality of Taal as of 14 January, local time, and lava flows and underwater volcanic activity continue to be reported.
The Philippines authorities have issued warnings, based on historical patterns, that current volcanic activity could last a few days, and possibly months or even years.
Authorities in the Philippines have initiated a review of a contingency plan for a long-term scenario that would affect more than 300,000 people.
On 13 January, the disaster-response agency of the Government of the Philippines raised the alert level to four over Taal volcano, located about 70 kilometres south of the capital, Manila, following steam-driven activity and an eruption that prompted an airport closure and thousands of evacuations.
Original source: UNOCHA
Published on 14 January 2019