SRA orders evacuation of research facility in La Granja

“We recently activated our Sugar Regulatorybl Administration (SRA) Disaster Response Team headed by Board Member David Sanson and we are on alert, particularly ensuring the safety of our employees. I ordered the evacuation of our research facility in La Granja in Negros Occidental, with a skeleton crew left behind to secure the facility. All our vehicles are ready to deploy when requested by the local government units,” said SRA Administrator Pablo Luis Azcona.

“We have regrouped our disaster response teams and we are closely monitoring the situation in Mt. Kanlaon. We have relief supplies in place if and when needed and we have also allocated some P4 million for other emergency supplies,” SRA Board Member Dave Sanson meanwhile said in a statement.

In the event of magmatic eruption and the alert level is raised to Alert Level 4, the temporary evacuation center for SRA workers will be its Bacolod office, a statement from SRA said.

Meanwhile, mediamen were told that the La Granja facility was closed, and the equipment are well-protected. “It (ashfall) might cause damage at the nursery where the sugarcane varieties for distribution to farmers are being propagated, because it is an open area and as in the past, the ashfall is acidic and can damage the crops. Last time, the damage was not extensive because it rained afterwards, but now, it is so dry.”*