Philippines: Mayon Volcano - Jun 2001

The Mount Mayon volcano in Legazpi City in the central Philippines violently erupted at 12.15 p.m., local time, on Sunday, 24 June 2001, after steadily erupting for two weeks. Huge geysers of rocks, lava and flaming ash columns (up to 5 km high) were seen shooting from the crater. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised the alert status in the area of the 2,467m volcano to 'level 5', the highest level. (IFRC, 26 Jun 2001)

After Mt. Mayon, which lies 330 km southeast of Manila, on the Philippine island of Luzon, erupted on 24 June 2001, a decrease in volcanic activity began on 3 July. According to the Philippine National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), as of 12 July, there were 15,256 people (3,157 families) in eight evacuation centres in the municipalities of Daraga, Malilipot, Sto Domingo and Camalig and cities of Legaspi and Tabaco. Damage to agriculture was estimated at PHP 40 million (USD 792,000). There were no reports of injuries. (OCHA, 16 Jul 2001)

Another series of eruptions began on 26 July and continued on 27 July. The eruptions struck when all but 957 families (who were permanently displaced by the June eruptions) had returned to their homes. Although no deaths or injuries were noted, reports indicated that more than 40,000 villagers were forced to flee. Evacuees were housed in public facilities such as school buildings, gymnasiums and tent cities. There were 27 evacuation camps housing 9,773 families, or 46,914 individuals as of 2 August. (IFRC, 2 Aug 2001)