Tag Archives: Indonesia

Indonesia hit by two Earthquakes 6.7 and 6.4

Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

Important Takeaways:

  • 6.7-, 6.4-magnitude earthquakes shake Indonesia and the Philippines
  • The second quake, with a magnitude of 6.7, was the stronger of the two. It occurred about 104 miles west of the Indonesian city of Pariaman at a depth of 17 miles
  • The first quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, struck minutes earlier in the Philippines near the capital Manila and off the Coast of Luzon Island.
  • The agency said neither earthquake affected much land and there were no reports of major damage or injuries. Officials also said that no tsunami warnings were necessary.

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Eruption on Mount Merapi Forcing Hundreds of Residents to Seek Safety

Matthew 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.”

Important Takeaways:

  • Indonesia’s Mount Merapi volcano erupts multiple times in waves, forcing 250 residents to flee
  • Mount Merapi volcano erupted at least seven times and spouted hot ash just before and after midnight
  • The eruption sent fast-moving pyroclastic flows — a combination of rock, lava and gas —up to 5km (3.1 miles) down its slopes
  • At least 253 individuals were evacuated from near the volcanic region in Merapi to temporary shelters
  • One of the most active among more than 120 volcanoes in Indonesia, Merapi has been repeatedly erupting with lava and gas clouds in the last few months.
  • No immediate casualties or injuries were reported.

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6.1 Hits Shallow in Sumatra

Important Takeaways:

  • Earthquake hits Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, killing at least 2
  • The magnitude 6.1 quake caused tremors that were felt in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, officials and witnesses said.
  • The quake, which did not have the potential to cause a tsunami, caused residents to flee buildings in some areas, including in the city of Padang in West Sumatra Province, and even triggered evacuations in Malaysia.
  • Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency chief, Suharyanto, said at least two people were killed and some buildings including a government office, homes and a bank sustained damage.

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Massive quake strikes near Australia

Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Important Takeaways:

  • Northern Australia rocked by magnitude-7.2 earthquake in Indonesia
  • The quake is believed to have been a magnitude-7.2 quake and hit north of East Timor at 5.25am AEDT
  • There is no tsunami threat to anywhere in Australia.
  • Northern Territory’s Chief Minister has reacted to the region’s early morning earthquake, saying it was the most dramatic he’s felt.

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Indonesia’s Semeru volcano erupts, people warned to stay away

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s Semeru volcano on Java island erupted early on Sunday spewing a two km (1.24 miles) high ash column, prompting authorities to warn people to stay away from the eruption range.

Earlier this month, the eruption of Semeru, Java’s tallest mountain, ejected ash clouds and pyroclastic flows that killed at least 46 people and left several missing, while thousands were displaced.

On Sunday, the early morning eruption resulted in dense white and grey ash clouds, according to Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG).

The agency warned nearby residents not to conduct any activities within a five km (three miles) radius of the eruption center and to keep a 500 meter (1,500 feet) distance from riversides due to risks of lava flow.

PVMBG also told people to not conduct any activities within 13 km (eight miles) southeast of the eruption center.

With 142 volcanoes, Indonesia has the largest population globally living in close range to a volcano, including 8.6 million within 10km (six miles).

(Reporting by Bernadette Christina Munthe; Writing by Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by Michael Perry)

Indonesia considers relocations after deadly volcanic eruption

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s volcanology agency is sending a team of researchers to the Mount Semeru volcano to identify areas too dangerous for villagers to stay after it erupted on Saturday, killing dozens of people on the slopes of Java island’s highest mountain.

In the days since the disaster, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the disaster warning system and whether some villages should be moved.

Ediar Usman, an official from the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG), told a media briefing that some areas were potentially no longer safe to inhabit.

“It’s not impossible that a similar disaster could happen in the future,” he said.

Eko Budi Lelono, who heads the geological survey center, told Reuters the team would be sent this week and included experts from Yogyakarta who had studied the Merapi volcano near that city.

An estimated 8.6 million people in Indonesia live within 10 km of an active volcano, well within the range of deadly pyroclastic flows.

The magnitude of Saturday’s eruption caught many villagers off guard, with dozens unable to escape as the volcano projected an ash cloud kilometers into the sky, and sent dangerous pyroclastic flows into villages on the fertile slopes below.

At least 34 people were killed, with another 22 still missing, while thousands have been displaced, according to the disaster mitigation agency.

The eruption almost entirely buried some villages under meters of molten ash, with more than 100,000 homes partially damaged or destroyed.

Surveying the worst affected areas by helicopter on Tuesday, President Joko Widodo said that at least 2,000 homes would have to be rebuilt in different areas.

Semeru is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which straddles the “Pacific Ring of Fire,” an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates.

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Indonesia bolsters recovery efforts after volcano kills 34

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo promised on Tuesday to bolster evacuation efforts and repair damaged homes after visiting the site of a volcanic eruption on Java that has killed at least 34 people.

The 3,676-metre Mt. Semeru volcano erupted on Saturday sending a cloud of ash into the sky and dangerous pyroclastic flows into villages below.

Thousands of people have been displaced and 22 remain missing, according to the disaster mitigation agency.

After visiting evacuation centers and surveying the area by helicopter – getting an aerial view of villages submerged in molten ash – the president said recovery efforts would be bolstered now and in the months ahead.

“I came to the site to ensure that we have the forces to locate the victims,” said the president, speaking from Sumberwuluh, one of the worst-hit areas.

“We hope that after everything has subsided, that everything can start – fixing infrastructure or even relocating those from the places we predict are too dangerous to return to.”

At least 2,000 homes would need to be relocated to safer areas, he said.

Search and rescue efforts continued on Tuesday but have been hampered by wind and rain, and limited equipment in some areas.

Mt. Semeru erupted three times on Tuesday. Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said on Monday there was potential for further flows of hot gas, ash and rocks.

Mt. Semeru is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia, in an area of high seismic activity atop multiple tectonic plates known as the “Pacific Ring of Fire.”

(Reporting by Stanley Widianto and Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa and Janet Lawrence)

Indonesia volcano erupts again as death toll rises to 22

By Willy Kurniawan and Tommy Adriansyah

SUMBERWULUH, Indonesia (Reuters) – An Indonesian volcano was active again on Monday, spewing out hot clouds of ash, two days after a powerful eruption killed at least 22 people and left dozens missing.

Mt. Semeru, the tallest mountain on the island of Java, erupted dramatically on Saturday, shooting a towering column of ash into the sky that blanketed surrounding villages.

Aerial footage showed roofs jutting out of an ashen landscape, while on the ground, military officers, police and residents dug through mud with their hands to pull out victims.

The death toll had risen to 22 by Monday, while 27 were missing, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said.

The volcano erupted again on Monday, Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation confirmed via its Twitter account, warning of continued seismic activity.

“Semeru is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia. Before and after the December 4 eruption, it will continue to be active,” Liswanto, the head of the Semeru Volcano Observatory, told Reuters.

Some residents returned to their homes to check on belongings and livestock, but Liswanto urged people to keep a safe distance.

“People need to be more vigilant because the potential threat is still there,” he added.

In the Sumberwuluh area, rescue teams battled poor weather to retrieve victims from the rubble.

“The main obstacle is the weather… Hopefully the weather going forward will be good enough to make it easier for us to search,” Wuryanto, operations director of the national search and rescue agency (Basarnas), told reporters.

People have posted photos of missing loved ones on Facebook, with pleas for any information about their whereabouts.

Complicating logistics and rescue efforts, lava flows from Saturday’s eruption destroyed a bridge connecting two areas in the district of Lumajang with the city of Malang.

Public kitchens and health facilities have been set up for more than 1,700 people who have been displaced.

Semeru is one of more than 100 active volcanoes in Indonesia, a country that straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of high seismic activity that rests atop multiple tectonic plates.

(Additional reporting by Prasto Wardoyo and Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Kate Lamb and Fathin Ungku; Editing by Karishma Singh, Gerry Doyle and Nick Macfie)

Without ICUs, doctor in Jakarta hospital battles to help COVID-19 patients

By Yuddy Cahya Budiman

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian doctor Cheras Sjarfi says the small public hospital where she works in south Jakarta was not ready for the influx of COVID-19 patients who arrived after a surge of new infections in the world’s fourth-most-populous country.

Only equipped for basic health care, her facility has had to treat COVID-19 patients even though it lacks the life-saving ventilators and intensive care units they sometimes require.

“We weren’t prepared for this situation,” she said, adding that the situation at smaller hospitals like hers showed how severe things had become.

The 28-year-old general practitioner said she knew it was getting bad when all the patients classified as suspected coronavirus cases tested positive within a week.

Grappling with the worst outbreak in Southeast Asia, Indonesia has reported record daily cases in seven of the past 11 days, including on Thursday, with 24,836 new infections and 504 deaths, both new highs.

The spike has made it harder to transfer severely ill patients, and city hospitals were at 93% capacity this week. Hospitals across Java are also nearly full.

“We… receive the incoming patients as best as we can. Give them oxygen, check their blood pressure, and observe them,” she said, adding that if a patient’s condition worsens it is unlikely that other hospitals can take them.

“The worst case is they die here. I definitely feel sad even if I have seen… people dying many times,” said Cheras.

She is working 12-hour shifts, double the normal length, after she said some of her colleagues were infected despite being fully vaccinated.

Indonesian authorities have announced new curbs starting Saturday, including tighter restrictions on movement and air travel, a ban on restaurant dining and closing non-essential offices.

Still, despite the huge strain and concerns she could be re-infected with COVID-19, Cheras tries to remains positive.

“Although we are exhausted and wonder when will this end… I think it still manageable,” she said.

(Writing by Ed Davies. Editing by Gerry Doyle)