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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Twin Disasters in Indonesia

Two natural disasters have occurred almost simultaneously in Indonesia. A volcanic eruption and tsunami killed dozens of people in separate locations with a distance of hundreds of miles.

On Tuesday (26 October 2010) Mount Merapi in Central Java erupted, killing at least 25 people, while thousands of others forced to flee deep into the mountain slopes safer. The volcano has been spewing high-temperature ash and smoke to the air above the island of Java.

Meanwhile, in the Mentawai islands that exist off the coast of western Sumatra, which lies about 800 miles west of Mount Merapi, on Sunday (24 October 2010) had an earthquake to 7.2 on the Richter scale, followed by tsunami waves with a height of 10-feet . Devastating tsunami waves had swept hundreds of homes, killing at least 150 residents of local communities, while there were about 500 people missing.

In 2006 Mount Merapi had erupted, killing two people. Similar eruptions occurred on 1994, killing 60 people. While the explosion in 1930 killed 1,300 people.

At first, many local villagers refused to move from the fertile slopes of the volcano. They said they want to stay there while protecting homes and their possessions. However, due to increasingly desperate situation, then the thousands of villagers began flocking to places of refugee in emergency shelters Tuesday night.

According to the news broadcast on television , the victims died have already reached more than 25 people, while dozens of people in critical condition since suffering serious burns from hot clouds that glide brunt of Tuesday evening . The victims were taken to hospitals in Yogyakarta.

Before that, the volunteers try to help displaced residents living near the crater of Mount Merapi. Unfortunately not all people who want to leave his home which was in danger of heat clouds from time to time to slide down, sweeping everything in its path.Those who did not want to evacuate that ultimately killed on Tuesday night.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Halo Pak Utomo,
How are you ? I hope you are okay.

The series of natural disasters that have plagued Indonesia recently i.e. Earthquake + Tsunami in Mentawai, Eruption of Mt Merapi, and never ending floods in Jakarta, are very saddening.
My deep sympathy and condolence for those who have died and their families.
We should all learn about ways to overcome such disasters and even make efforts to prevent them.

Setyo-Utomo Said said...

Thanks, mas Harry, I'm fine. It seems we must pay attention more to early natural warning !

Multi Blogging said...

I am also very sorry for what happened to Indonesia at this time, maybe this is an ordeal for our people to be able to take lessons from what has happened to our nation.

Multi Blogging

Setyo-Utomo Said said...

I appreciate your comment, Multi Blogging. Thanks !

colson said...

Yours is a very appropriate motto:"Get the opportunity to help others". The innocent victims of the tsunami and the volcanic eruption badly need pragmatic help and aid now indeed.

For that I really hope they can rely on the empathy, solidarity and generosity from all over the world.

Since floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions will be on the Indonesian menu for ever, whatever up to date organizational and technical means that are available should be used to get maximum prevention and up to date early warning systems.

Setyo-Utomo Said said...

@colson
I totally agree with you !

anuradha said...

May God Bless All In Distress , If Indonesia in middle east i wonder how fast relief gonna start coming

techub

Multibrand said...

Hi Pak Utomo,
Here I am back on your blog looking for updates.

Setyo-Utomo Said said...

@anuradha
Thanks for your Pray For Indonesia. God bless you too !

@multibrand
Thanks for encouraging me, mas Harry ! Am preparing it now.