Eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru
More people were evacuated Monday from adjacent communities following the eruption of Mount Semeru in Indonesia, with officials warning of the dangers of cooling lava despite the volcano’s reduced activity. After the country’s tallest peak on the main island of Java erupted early Sunday morning, more than 2,400 residents have abandoned their homes and taken refuge in 11 evacuation shelters.
The government’s alert level for the volcano was upgraded to its maximum level on Sunday. It was previously at its second-highest level since the last big eruption on December 4, 2021.
Last year’s eruption killed 51 people, destroyed over 5,000 homes, and forced almost 10,000 people to flee.
“The military, police, local disaster and village authorities continue to evacuate residents in Curah Kobokan, where the hot ash cloud and cool lava may travel,” said Abdul Muhari, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency, on local media. “There have been a total of 2,489 evacuation thus far.”
The state of emergency has been declared for the next two weeks, and officials have started distributing free masks to guard against ash in the air while also setting up public kitchens for evacuees.
According to an AFP journalist, scores of evacuees in the Lumajang district, where Semeru is located, returned to their ash-covered homes on Monday morning to gather critical possessions before returning to shelters.
While the volcano erupted ash in the backdrop, some shepherded cattle while others moved items such as TVs and refrigerators.
Muhari added that a visual inspection of Semeru on Monday morning revealed less strong volcanic activity, but he cautioned of the dangers of lava flows that have cooled following heavy rain.
“We are concerned about commercial activity such as sand mining. We want to ensure that the path of the hot ash cloud and cool lava is absolutely clear of activity “He stated.
Many of those killed in last year’s eruption were sand miners operating high on the volcano’s slopes.
Semeru, also known as Mahameru, has erupted several times over the previous two centuries, yet its lush slopes, like many of Indonesia’s other 128 active volcanoes, are home to tens of thousands of people who live on the rich soil it offers for agriculture.
Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million people, is located on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where tectonic plates collide, causing significant volcanic and seismic activity.
