Hundreds of Bulusan evacuees sent home

MANILA, June 9 ------ About 104 families from Barangay Puting Sapa in Juban, Sorsogon who evacuated after the eruption of Bulusan Volcano have gone home, the Sorsogon provincial government said.

The families were sent back to their homes with the help of the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Juban Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). Food packs and bottled water were distributed to the evacuees by the Provincial Social Welfare Development Office (PSWDO) and volunteer groups. "Bagamat nakauwi na ang mga evacuees, patuloy pa rin silang inaabisuhan na PHO [Provincial Health Office] na magsuot ng masks upang maiwasan ang respiratory illnesses na maaaring maidulot ng abo mula sa bulkan," the provincial government said. Juban social welfare officer Susan Anpin earlier said that about 374 people, or 107 families, were evacuated following Bulusan's eruption.

Sorsogon Gov. Francis Escudero had said that authorities would be sending evacuees home within 2 to 3 days if Bulusan does not erupt again. This decision, Escudero had said, is based on their experience with Bulusan's previous eruptions, particularly the most recent one in 2017 prior to June 5’s incident. Decampment started among the evacuees as early as 9 a.m. June 8, after authorities cleared the affected areas of any ashfall from the volcano.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com