In La Carlota, evacuees return home as Kanlaon calms down

HOMEWARD BOUND Residents of La Carlota City, Negros Occidental who were evacuated after Mount Kanlaon erupted on Dec. 9, 2024, get ready to board a government vehicle that will finally bring them home on Thursday, Aug. 14. —PHOTO FROM DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT-NEGROS ISLAND REGION

BACOLOD CITY—After more than eight months living in tent city, 61 families with 225 members from La Carlota City in Negros Occidental displaced by the eruption in December last year by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano finally returned home on Thursday.

These families were the latest group of people living close to the danger zone of Mt. Kanlaon who were given the all-clear to return to their villages after the volcano’s alert level 3 (high level of volcanic unrest), which was raised after it erupted on Dec. 9 last year, was lowered to alert level 2 (moderate level of volcanic unrest) on June 29.

GOODBYE TENT CITY Residents of La Carlota City in Negros Occidental who have been living in tents inside a city government building after Mount Kanlaon erupted on Dec. 9, 2024 quickly packed their belongings on Thursday after they are given the go signal to go home since the volcano has now calmed down. —PHOTO FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT-NEGROS ISLAND REGION

Ferried home

On Aug. 1, about 1,500 residents of La Castellana town, also in Negros Occidental, living within the 6-kilometer expanded danger zone of the volcano were also ferried home by government vehicles.

A day earlier, on July 31, some 1,400 evacuated residents in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, had also returned home.

For those from La Carlota, the homes they returned to are located in Sitio Guintubdan, Barangay Ara-al.

La Carlota City Mayor Jose Luis Jalandoni said each family received galvanized iron (GI) sheets to repair their homes damaged by the volcano’s ash emissions and P1,800 in cash assistance.

In Bago City, also in Negros Occidental, evacuated residents composed of 81 members from 22 families, will return home on Saturday, according to Dr. Merijene Ortizo, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer.

‘Bayanihan spirit’

Ortizo said the “bayanihan spirit” will be on display as Bago City employees and private sector volunteers will accompany the evacuees home to help them repair their houses, which were damaged by the volcanic eruptions.

Each returning household in Bago City will receive painted GI sheets for roofing and P10,000 in cash to help them rebuild their lives, she said.

The native huts at the “Payag sang Kapag-on Village” built by the Bago City government in Barangay Napoles, where the evacuees have been staying, will be maintained by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office for use during future calamities, Ortizo added.