A "state of calamity" was declared in towns and villages near the Mayon volcano southeast of the Philippine capital as lava flow intensified Tuesday. This allows the provincial government to use emergency funds to prepare evacuation camps, provincial governor Fernando Gonzales said.
He said Mayon remains "in a mild state of eruption" at present, but there were signs of a more violent eruption in the coming days or weeks.
"We have to make sure that everything is prepared. Evacuation could come in very, very quickly," he said, adding that at least 20,000 people living under its shadow could be in direct danger of lava flow
For the past 24 hours, the 2,462-meter (8,077 foot) Mayon has oozed lava and spewed out huge rocks, the Philippine Instituate of Volcanology and Seismology said in its latest bulletin.
"The advancing lava flow has now reached 1,000 meters downslope of the summit crater," it said, adding that rolling incandescent boulders could also be observed at its southeast gully.
Level three of a five-step alert system remains hoisted on Mayon, meaning that laval flow could suddenly shift to "explosive eruption which could generate pyroclastic flows" within weeks or days.
Residents, it said, should be vigilant and prepared to evacuate as soon as necessary.
Mayon, 300 kilometers (176 miles) southeast of Manila, last had a major eruption in July 2001. More than 1,000 people are believed to have perished when the volcano erupted in 1814.
Sicilys Mount Etna Rumbles Back To Life
