Danger Looms Over Semeru Eruption Survivors

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

The view of Mount Semeru from Supiturang Village, Pronojiwo District, Lumajang Regency, East Java, Tuesday (7/12/2021).

Amid showers of volcanic ash, survivors of the Semeru eruption have returned to the vulnerable areas. The disaster killed 22 people and left 27 injured.

LUMAJANG, KOMPAS — As Mount Semeru remains unstable, several residents have returned to their homes located in areas prone to eruptions to retrieve their things or feed their livestock. Meanwhile, the conditions of refugees are still disorganized, such as in terms of data collection.

In Supiturang village, Pronojiwo subdistrict, Lumajang, East Java – the area most severely affected by the eruption on Monday (6/12/2021) at 8 a.m. – a number of residents came back to their houses, which were blanketed in volcanic ash. They retrieved equipment, clothes and fed their cattle while the peak of Semeru was clear, with no smoke or dark clouds in sight.

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> Evacuation of Residents Prepared

Ali (38), a resident of Sumbersari hamlet, Supiturang village, who survived the eruption, had returned home to feed his cows.

They were assisted by volunteers and the police so that residents could return quickly to the refugee camps.

The same was seen in Kajarkuning hamlet, Sumberwuluh village, Candipuro district, where several residents forcibly returned to their homes in vulnerable areas to retrieve their belongings. They were assisted by volunteers and the police so that residents could return quickly to the refugee camps.

This has occurred in almost all the affected villages. Anton, a volunteer in Sumberwuluh village, said that he and other volunteers could not prevent residents from returning to the village and could only help them. It is only when it rains or there is information about further eruptions that his party can ask the residents to return to the refugee shelters.

Meanwhile, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s Vulcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Centre’s (PVMBG) head Andiani said there was still potential for ash clouds to spew from Mt. Semeru. “It is difficult to tell when that will happen. We need to continue monitoring it,” he said.

Shelters

On the third day after the eruption, evacuation shelters began to fill up amid incomplete data collection. At the refugee shelter for the Nurul Jadid Mosque in Supiturang village, for one, the distribution of aid was tinged with tension. The statuses of residents who are entitled to basic necessities were unclear.

“The data is confusing. I hope the village head will arrive and ensure all the refugees are here,” said Uswatun Hasanah, a volunteer managing the shelter. There were about 150 people gathered in that shelter.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

The SAR team surrounds the area affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Koboan Curah Hamlet, Supiturang Village, Pronojiwo District, Lumajang Regency, East Java, Monday (6/12/2021).

The ministry’s Geological Agency head Eko Budi Lelono said his party had coordinated with the Lumajang regency administration, the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to prepare technical steps for handling the eruption. One of these steps is to determine a safe evacuation location.

The map of disaster-prone areas (KRB) issued by the Geological Agency is the basis for determining refugee locations. “From there [the map], we can see which areas are vulnerable and which are relatively safe from volcanic disasters,” he said at an online press conference.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that seven more victims had died from the Semeru eruption, bringing the death toll to 22 people and 27 declared missing. This makes the disaster one of the largest in Semeru’s history.

“At 5:30 p.m., the number of deaths reported by the BNPB’s Pusdalop [Control and Operation Center] is 22 people,” said BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center acting head Abdul Muhari.

Also read:

> Learning from Semeru Eruption

> Gray Saturday on the Slopes of Mount Semeru

> Evacuation of Residents Prepared

Of the 22 fatalities, 14 bodies were found in Pronojiwo district, while the eight other bodies were discovered in Candipuro district. These two subdistricts are located in Lumajang regency, East Java.

“In Pronojiwo, there are still five people who have not been identified. Two people are currently in Pasirian Hospital, while the three others were found in RT 016 RW 005 Curah Kobokan at 2:15 p.m.,” said Muhari.

Nine victims who died in Probojiwo subdistrict have already been identified and buried. Meanwhile, of the total eight victims who died in Candipuro district, only one has not yet been identified.

“One person was found in South Kebon Deli at 3:45 p.m. [Monday] and has yet to be identified,” he said. One of the focuses of the search and rescue team, Muhari added, was to find the 27 people declared missing.

Hampered by rain

National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) director Brig. Gen. Wurjanto said the evacuation process and search for victims had been hampered by poor weather conditions. “We received reports that it had been raining in the field. This will be an obstacle for search officers,” he said.

In addition to Basarnas, the Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police and the SAR team in East Java have joined hands with the Emergency Response Task Force.

In Jakarta, TNI commander Gen. Andika Perkasa ordered the addition of the Army’s heavy equipment to help the BNPB. Previously, the TNI sent a health team and a field kitchen team.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

The yard of a resident's house is filled with volcanic material from the eruption of Mount Semeru in Koboan Curah Hamlet, Supiturang Village, Pronojiwo District, Lumajang Regency, East Java, Monday (6/12/2021).

Meanwhile, PVMBG head Andiani said that on Monday morning, two ash clouds fell with a sliding distance of 2.5-4 kilometers from the summit. He said the flow of lava through the upstream river in the crater still posed a threat. Moreover, heavy rains are predicted to hit the Semeru area in the next one to two months.

“The potential is still high, especially in the crater opening in the southeast direction through Besuk Kobokan. This is something we must remain cautious of,” he said. (NIT/BRO/BAH/DIA/TAM/HRS/GRE/AIK/EDN)

(This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.