The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Friday advised residents in parts of Albay to prepare for possible ashfall after a lava collapse along the slopes of Mayon Volcano resulted in renewed ash emissions.
In an advisory issued at 11:30 a.m., Phivolcs said it was monitoring ash emissions caused by the continuing advance and collapse of the toe of a new lava flow at the Mi-isi Gully on Mayon’s southwestern flank in Daraga, Albay.
The agency warned that communities located south and east of the volcano could experience light ashfall due to weak winds currently prevailing over Mayon.
Several villages in Sto. Domingo, Albay, had already experienced ashfall on Thursday afternoon due to the effects of the southwest monsoon or habagat.
The affected areas included Barangays Lidong, San Isidro, Sta. Misericordia, San Antonio, Fidel Surtida, and San Fernando.
Local authorities immediately distributed face masks to residents and advised those affected to stay indoors to reduce exposure to volcanic ash.
Phivolcs said it continues to closely monitor Mayon Volcano and reminded the public to remain vigilant and follow updates and safety advisories from local disaster risk reduction and management authorities.