We are happy to have been of assistance to the families affected by the Kanalon Eruption in June. Click here to read the story.
The volcano spewed ash on the evening of June 3 and the following morning, our team visited four evacuation centers to serve Mingo Meals. Some evacuees repurposed the boxes that the Mingo came in and used them as sleeping mats. By lunch time, most families had gone home as the volcano seemed to have settled down.
However, in the afternoon of June 5, it rained heavily, and the rain mixed with volcanic ash. This created lahar which flooded rivers and fields. Families once again trooped to evacuation centers and the NVC emergency relief team made sure to provide assistance again. Over the next two weeks, the team visited a total of 12 evacuation centers, some of which the team visited several times. Thanks to the generosity of donors, NVC was able to provide Mingo Meals, drinking water, face masks, canned goods and biscuits.
As the month drew to a close, families began to return to their homes.
The families affected by the Kanlaon eruption rely heavily on farming. Unfortunately, the ash fall had destroyed many of their crops. What was not burned by the ash fall was wiped out by the lahar.
With the leftover donations for Kanlaon emergency relief, we are working to help the families get back on their feed. We are doing this in collaboration with the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of La Castellana.
NVC was able to provide seeds and fertilizers to two families. We also sent basic farm tools to other families in need. Turnover began in late June and as early as July, planting had begun. Maritess and Jucery planted carrots and later some cabbage. Nanay Gloria and her husband Dodong focused on peanuts.
While these farmers’ crops were growing, Mt. Kanlaon threatened to erupt again several times. Rumbles were heard and tremors were felt. And the smell of sulfur sometimes hung in the air.
Jucery and Maritess had a great harvest of carrots. Unfortunately, their cabbage crop was compromised because sulfur blown by the wind in their farm’s direction damaged the delicate growing leaves. As for Nanay Gloria and her husband Dodong, they had to harvest their peanuts due to a possible eruption. They had to pay higher rates for pickers to get the job done. The good news is, the harvest was great, yielding huge, plump pods of peanuts. Unfortunately, possibly due to the emergency situation, the couple has not been able to fetch a good price.
Despite these setbacks, the farmers are grateful to have been able to somewhat recover from the June eruption.
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