Road in Talisay town blanketed by three to five inches of ash: police

January 14, 2020

Three to five inches of ash from Taal's eruption on Sunday blanketed Talisay town in Batangas province and police trucks had to traverse a muddy and slippery route, the police director of the Calabarzon added Monday.

Police Brigadier General Vicente Danao told DWIZ they also had to persuade elderly persons in Talisay, Laurel and Agoncillo to evacuate. When they agreed, policemen carried them to the evacuation center.

In the morning, some refused to leave their homes or kept their homes. ''But we found out they were elderly. Some could not walk and some were sick,'' said Danao.

''We had to force them to leave and police had to carry them to our vehicle,'' he said. 

Danao said it was fortunate they were able to extricate fewer persons as Taal Volcano's activity lessened.

''Talisay town is the most affected by the ashfall. I saw the ash around three to five inches thick so you can imagine how thick it was,'' said Danao.

Danao said police 6x6 trucks cannot travel on a straight line. ''It took us two hours,'' he added. ''We had to go there slowly.''

''This is our greatest challenge. The mud is so thick,'' Danao said.

Danao said police trucks went to the towns of Talisay, Laurel and Agoncillo.As of 4 pm, police were able to evacuate 100 persons. DMS