Mt Kelud’s Ash Blankets Most of Java
Mount Kelud spewed around 125 million cubic meters of volcanic ash just within several hours following its huge eruption on the Thursday evening on February 13, head of the Geology Agency Surono said in Kediri, East Java, on Sunday, February 16.
“Just within one day, Mount Kelud has spewed about the same volume of volcanic materials that Mount Merapi (in Central Java) spewed in one month in the year 2010,” Surono explained. Although Mount Kelud has been showing very minimal activities since Saturday, the most prominent volcano expert could not guarantee that the mountain would not erupt again in the coming days.
Therefore, he urged all the villagers living within a 10-kilometer radius from the crater to stay at the evacuation centers for the next few days. More than 84,000 people were still abandoning their homes and stayed at scores of evacuation centers in Kediri, Blitar and Malang districts.
The ash showers blanketed most of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces and even causing light ash showers in some parts of West Java, crippling most of people’s daily activities.
At least six people were reported dead following Mount Kelud eruption. Most of the victims suffered from respiratory problems as they inhaled the ash.
The ash showers blanketed most of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces and even causing light ash showers in some parts of West Java, crippling most of people’s daily activities. Up to Sunday evening, the airports in Solo and Yogyakarta still could not resume their operations as volcanic ash still could not be properly cleaned from the runways and the aprons. The airports of Surabaya, Malang, Semarang and Bandung also could not offer their appropriate services yet.
The volume of ash and other volcanic materials from Mount Kelud, one of the most active mountains in Indonesia, was more than double of the 1990 eruption which sent more than 50 million cubic meters of volcanic materials to its surrounding areas.
Meanwhile, World Vision Indonesia’s relief team in Kediri started distributing emergency assistance for the evacuees on Sunday.
“We have been distributing family kits and masks for the impacted community groups here starting this morning,” team member Shintya Kurniawan said from Kediri on Sunday evening.
“We have been distributing family kits in Sumber Agung, Segaran, and Duwet villages in Kediri,” Shintya said. The distribution at the three places consisted of more than 380 packages of family kits and 960 masks.
“The team is still distributing the more than 100 remaining family kits and 1,100 masks at other evacuation centers,” she added.
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Reported by Bartolomeus Marsudiharjo, Field Communicators World Vision Indonesia and Hendro Suwito, Senior Editor World Vision Indonesia