Update on Mt. Mayon Volcano

We got this email from Elder Walker's mission president...

Dear Parents,



I want to belay any concerns you might have for your missionary. It is Wednesday morning in the Philippines and all is safe here.



CNN is reporting that the Mayon volcano, which is located in the middle of the Naga Mission, has erupted and that thousands have been evacuated. Reports we have seen seem a bit overstated.



The Mayon volcano has had ash and magma eruptions in the list two days. Local authorities have raised the mountain to a level 3 alert which means evacuation of those living within 6 to 8 kilometers from the mountain. The local news is reporting that 22,000 people have been evacuated. We do not have missionaries living inside the immediate danger zone. We are carefully monitoring the situation and are prepared to evacuate missionaries from any areas that may be in any danger.



The eruptions began on Monday night then settled down during the day and resumed again last night. So far the eruptions have consisted of localized vertical ash clouds and magma flow on the side of the mountain. It a great photo opportunity if nothing else.



Yesterday (Tuesday in the Philippines) was our transfer day. Many of our missionaries were transferred to new areas or received new companions or new assignments. We don’t like to transfer missionaries this close to Christmas but felt we had no choice because we have a very large group of new missionaries (17) arriving tomorrow. We had some concerns early in the day that travel around the Mayon volcano might be restricted. Fortunately even with the eruptions going on the transfer went off without a hitch. All of the missionaries are now in their new areas except for our trainers who will be at the mission home tonight. The Mission Home is more than 40 Kilometers from the Mayon.



We will continue to monitor the situation and should it become necessary to move missionaries we will do so immediately. We will notify you individually if your missionary is impacted. If you have specific concerns I invite your email. Please be aware that it may take me a day or two for me to respond.



If any of you have access to mission parents web sites/blogs please post this message on that site.



President Gordon C. Smith