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| Mount Merapi |
The rough river beds gouged out of the mountain by flows of lava are a rich source of mining for dirt, gravel and rocks.
In mid October 2000 we heard the first reports of a change in the mountain, the sides were expanding much like bread rising in an oven. Then there were several earthquakes that made our solid two story house shudder. The continual rumbles in indicated pressure was building and the severity of the situation increased in the days leading up to October 26th.Vulcanologists measured the pressure of molten rock and found it to be increasing daily .
On October 25th we had to leave the country to renew our Indonesian visa and we were joined by a large crowd of local Indonesians who also were leaving for fear of the volcano.
on October 26th the first eruption occurred killing 44 people
To understand why people were reluctant to leave their homes there was an interesting article that explains some Javanese traditional thinking
Merapi and Javanese cosmology Reported by the Jakarta post
“For years, people there have believed that Merapi would never propel clouds and lava onto its southern slope,. They thought Merapi would not deface its supposed front slope.
But for those people, the unthinkable happened. Huge hot clouds, with energy three times bigger than that of the three previous eruptions in 1994, 2001 and 2006, sped down the mountain and swept over Kinahrejo and the neighboring village of Kaliadem, killing over 40 people including Mbah Maridjan
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| After the eruption vocanic soil blocking this river |
In mid October 2000 we heard the first reports of a change in the mountain, the sides were expanding much like bread rising in an oven. Then there were several earthquakes that made our solid two story house shudder. The continual rumbles in indicated pressure was building and the severity of the situation increased in the days leading up to October 26th.Vulcanologists measured the pressure of molten rock and found it to be increasing daily .
On October 25th we had to leave the country to renew our Indonesian visa and we were joined by a large crowd of local Indonesians who also were leaving for fear of the volcano.
on October 26th the first eruption occurred killing 44 people
To understand why people were reluctant to leave their homes there was an interesting article that explains some Javanese traditional thinking
Merapi and Javanese cosmology Reported by the Jakarta post
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| Volcanic ash |
“For years, people there have believed that Merapi would never propel clouds and lava onto its southern slope,. They thought Merapi would not deface its supposed front slope.
But for those people, the unthinkable happened. Huge hot clouds, with energy three times bigger than that of the three previous eruptions in 1994, 2001 and 2006, sped down the mountain and swept over Kinahrejo and the neighboring village of Kaliadem, killing over 40 people including Mbah Maridjan
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| FAMILY POSSESSIONS DESTROYED |
The 3,000-meter high Mt. Merapi, sitting astride the neighboring provinces of Yogyakarta and Central Java, is an important icon in Javanese traditional mysticism and cosmology, especially for Yogyakarta, which is often considered to be at the heart of Javanese culture.
Believed to be the kingdom of the spirits, Merapi has long been seen as the symbol of the balancing elements of the universe forming a straight, sacred imaginary axis from the north — where it is located — to the south where the kingdom of the Queen of the South Sea Ratu Kidul lies, with Yogyakarta Palace at its center.
Followers of Javanese cosmology believe the world is basically a harmony between the microcosmic and the macrocosmic. In this case Merapi and the South Seas Kingdom are considered as the microcosmic while the Yogyakarta Palace the macrocosmic. Both are supposed to be in balance to create harmony.
For traditionalists, Merapi eruptions are a sign that the kingdom of spirits is having a party and the lava expelled is simply garbage left over from the celebration.
This is why they never imagined volcanic material would ever pour down the southern slope, since this would be like dumping rubbish in one’s front yard.
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| Carrying out the dead |
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| Volcanic dust in the main street Yogyakarta |
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| Raining ash in the main street |
JAJARTA POST REPORTED THE FOLLOWING
But somehow, the disaster has also led to priceless moments, creating strong emotional bonds among survivors — turning strangers into good friends within minutes.
Without any publicity or assistance from any groups or political parties, the residents less affected by the disaster led efforts to help survivors.
In the Central Java town of Boyolali, a local motorcycle club raised funds from passing motorists by performing a motorcycle stunt show at an intersection.
In Kauman village in Klaten regency, a group of local women worked morning and afternoon to prepare meals for evacuees in a small shelter near the area.
“When we opened the self-help public kitchen 10 days ago, we were able to make 350 packed meals, three times a day. However, since the donations we received decreased significantly, we can only make 100 meals now,” Theresia Ekowati, the public kitchen’s coordinator, said.
Theresia, who closed her catering business to work in the public kitchen, said she and other residents would try their best to keep providing meals for evacuees despite a lack of funds.
“We are ready to spend our own money if it comes to that,” she said.
In another shelter located at the Magelang military academy shooting range, 18-year-old Mufidhatul Afi never expected she could find a temporary home for her 15-day-old baby girl.
Her fate took a fortunate twist when she met Eri Kusyanti, a housewife from a village just across the crowded shelter.
Eri said that last week, a day after Merapi’s largest eruption, the entire village experienced a blackout.
“Since I desperately needed to charge my cell phone battery, one of my neighbors told me to go to a new shelter nearby that had a diesel generator,” said Eri, whose husband works in Riau.
It was at the shelter that Eri saw a panicked young woman reporting that her newborn baby had a respiratory problem, believed to be caused by volcanic ash.
“My intuition as a mother said I must help them,” Eri said.
Unplugging her half-charged phone, Eri then jumped into an ambulance taking Afi and her baby to the nearest community health center.
After getting medical treatment, Afi and her baby were allowed to return home, but Afi was advised to not expose the baby to ash.
Eri said she invited Afi and her baby to stay at her house.
“I feel so relieved,” said Afi, whose husband works out of town. “I just can’t imagine how I would survive without Eri’s help.”
Afi, whose village is located only 15 kilometers away from Merapi’s crater, now stays with her baby in a room at Eri’s house.
When the Post visited them, Afi was busy washing baby clothes in the bathroom while Eri was lulling her baby to sleep on the terrace.
Eri’s nine-year-old daughter approaches the baby and smiles, carefully stroking the baby’s cheeks in her mother’s arm."
Wild animals leave scorched forests after eruptions
Jakarta post 13th november
“Hundreds of wild animals that previously inhabited forests on the slopes of Mount Merapi began leaving the area as their habitats were completely devastated following eruptions from the world’s most active volcano.
Hundreds of long-tailed monkeys from the scorched Plawangan forest were seen moving out of the area, entering residential areas some 15 kilometers down the slopes. Other animals are thought to have migrated to forests on the slopes of neighboring Mount Merbabu, “We are not sure about the numbers but they’re understandably looking for new habitats and food,” Sartono, the head of the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) Regional I overseeing Sleman regency, Yogyakarta city and Kulonprogo regency, said Friday.
Since its first major eruptions on Oct. 26, pyroclastic flows and lava from Merapi have destroyed more than 6,000 hectares of forests on its slopes.
Animal activist Daniek Hendarto said volunteers were providing animals with food and water. “We want to make sure the animals in the [20-kilometer] exclusion zone survive,” he said.
Pyroclastic flows, Sartono said, had also destroyed Javanese eagle nests in Kinahrejo and Kaliurang forests, forcing the birds to leave the area.
The sight of two leopards has also created panic among residents of Kemput village, in Sleman, 11 kilometers from Merapi’s crater. They said they saw the big cats approaching cow sheds.
“It looked like a mother and her cub,” said Sokidi of Kemput.
We returned to Yogyakarta a month after the initial blast. Our house was still covered in ash even though there had been heavy rains. The people were going about their business in a quiet subded way. Our office had become a logistic centre for basic items for the thousands of displaced people in refugee camps. Bags of rice,boxes of underwear, crates of drinking water, packets of noodles and shampoo. Our office grounds housed 10 goats rescued from Merapi Lintas. A radio was set up under the front veranda with a large map on the wall were information gathered from the radio and sms messages was collated.
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| Dead animals everywhere |
WE rode our motor bike up the slopes of Merapi and were amazed at the devastation. The countryside looked like a black and white photgraph taken on the battle field of the Somme during world war I.
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| This village is intact |
houses completely flattened,trees felled powerpoles down and rivers choked with thousands of tons of sand.
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| Grass growing again after six weeks |
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| Greyness of the landsacape |
Amidst the devestation people were smiling as they cleared debri,hunted for lost belongings and tended the young shoots of Banana palms and the green stems against the grey landscape demonstated that life continues.
It has been rumourd that The government will move the people affected by the volcano to Sulawesi ! This would be a major disaster if it happens as Sulawesi is a different culture with unfertile soil.
I think local protests will prevent this from happening.
