Ahmad Husein, Muhammad Nashir and Aulia Arriani
A further eruption of the Mount Merapi volcano in central Java has sent ash clouds billowing 5 kilometres up into the sky. With this latest eruption, the authorities have relocated local residents – thousands of whom are already staying in temporary shelters – to locations even further away from the danger zone.
For more than a week, Indonesia’s most active has volcano has been spewing hot ash which has destroyed villages surrounding the mountain peak. Local authorities report that almost 40 people have now died, including Tutur Prijono, a volunteer with the Indonesian Red Cross who died trying to evacuate villagers.
Evacuating livestock
During his lifetime, 60-year-old Wojo has witnessed Mount Merapi erupt many times. The father of three children and grandfather to seven, he has always insisted on staying in his home which lies some 7 kilometres from the mountain. But this time, he changed his mind.
When Merapi first erupted a week ago, Wojo moved into a camp in the nearby village of Dompol, together with 1,800 others from the surrounding area. Persuading people not to return to their homes has been one of the biggest challenges faced by the government.
Although the volcano has erupted four times during the past week, people continue to return to their villages, particularly those dependent on farming who were forced to leave behind their livestock. To address this issue, the local government in Klaten decided to evacuate both people and their livestock and has provided two special livestock shelters together with feed for the animals.
Food and water for the displaced
On reaching the shelter, the first thing to cross Wojo’s mind was where the family’s next meal might come from. The answer came from the Indonesian Red Cross. Three times a day, they cook 1,900 individual food parcels in Dompol. In nearby Jumoyo camp, the Red Cross provides 1,200 food parcels at each meal time.
Establishing field kitchens in disaster situations is a typical role played by young volunteers. As the number of people being evacuated continues to rise, more field kitchens will be established wherever new shelters are established.
The water and sanitation team of the Indonesian Red Cross has also been busy providing clean water, not only to shelters and camps, but also residents around the safer areas who are indirectly affected by the volcano. In Kepuh hamlet, for example, a water channel which used to be the main water source has been damaged as a result of the eruption. The Red Cross has responded by distributing more than 8,000 litres of water for local residents.
“We had to collect rain water for our daily needs," said Yayuk, a mother of two. “The water had been contaminated by volcanic dust, so we couldn’t use it for bathing or cooking.”
Mentawai: a logistical challenge
A week after the tsunami in the Mentawai Islands, 431 people have now been confirmed dead with 88 still missing. Tonnes of relief items from various organizations lie piled up in Sikakap awaiting distribution. More relief is waiting to be shipped from Sumatra’s port in Padang, 150 kilometres from the islands.
Unpredictable weather with strong winds and high waves have hampered relief efforts and slowed down the distribution process. Within a few days of the disaster, 24 Indonesian Red Cross volunteers managed to reach the islands where they took part in search and rescue efforts, and the distribution of relief supplies.
“The most important thing for now is to find the fastest and safest ways to bring aid to the survivors before the situation deteriorates,” says Phillip Charlesworth, the IFRC’s head of delegation, who visited Sikakap on Sunday 31 October.
The Indonesian Red Cross is establishing a logistics base in Muko-muko district in Bengkulu province. From here, four helicopters will be used to carry relief items to villages in the Mentawai Islands that are unreachable by any other means. Relief efforts will be focused on providing relief and medical assistance to isolated areas in 16 hamlets. Plans are also in place to start other services such as restoring family links and psychosocial support.
Clinging to coconut trees
When the Indonesian Red Cross volunteers found him, 40-year-old Muhazar, a resident of Pagai Selatan Island looked traumatized. He points sadly to a square of cement floor where his house once stood before being swept away by the tsunami.
The wave crashed 300 metres inland and destroyed all the houses in the hamlet. Most of residents survived only because they managed to hold on to coconut trees. Muhazar was lucky – all members of his family survived. Three days after the tsunami, the Red Cross mobile team was the first to find them and offer assistance.
Muhazar recalls the moment when the tsunami wave hit.
“It was almost as high as the coconut tree,” he murmurs. “I want to move to the hill. I don’t want to live near the beach anymore.”