Embassy of the United States of America, Manila
Warden Notice
December 15, 2009

THE EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES IS TRANSMITTING THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION THROUGH THE EMBASSY WARDEN SYSTEM AS A PUBLIC SERVICE TO AMERICAN CITIZENS IN THE PHILIPPINES. PLEASE DISSEMINATE THIS MESSAGE TO ALL U.S. CITIZENS IN YOUR ORGANIZATION OR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU.

MAYON VOLCANO

The U.S. Embassy advises U.S. Citizens in the Philippines to avoid the area of the Mayon Volcano, located in the Province of Albay, approximately 300 kilometers (186.41 miles) southeast of Manila, on the island of Luzon. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) raised its alert status for the Mayon Volcano to Alert Level 3 indicating increasing volcanic activity after six small ash explosions. This alert condition signifies magma is near the top of the crater and incandescent materials are now detaching. Mayon volcano is now at a “high level of unrest” and may have more dangerous explosions. Thus, at Alert Level 3, Phivolcs strongly recommends that the provincial government evacuate areas under threat. Local governments have ordered evacuations in an 8 kilometer zone.

Updated information on volcanoes in the Philippines is available on the Web sites listed below. The Embassy encourages all U.S. citizens residing in or visiting areas near volcanoes to consult these websites frequently and to adhere to all safety and/or evacuation instructions from Philippine authorities.

http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/

http://volcanoes.usgs.gov

U.S. citizens with questions or concerns may telephone the Embassy at (63)(2) 301-2000. In case of an emergency outside business hours, American citizens may reach the Embassy duty officer through the Embassy operator at (63)(2) 301-2000. The U.S. Embassy is located at: 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila, Philippines. The Consular American Citizen Services (ACS) section's fax number is (63)(2) 301-2017 and the ACS web page is at http://manila.usembassy.gov.

U.S. citizens living in or visiting the Philippines are encouraged to register with the Consular Section of the US Embassy in Manila. The easiest way to do this is via the Internet, using a link on http://www.travel.state.gov or directly at https://travelregistration.state.gov. Get more information on registration at http://manila.usembassy.gov.