US praises how RI handles Merapi eruptions

Antara News, Thursday, November 25, 2010 20:43 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The United States has commended the ways in which Indonesia handled the impacts of the recent Mount Merapi eruptions in one of Central Java`s most densely populated rural areas where a minimum number of casualties occurred.

The praise was given through the head of the US Volcanological Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP) chief, John S Pallister, and US Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Alan Merciel during a meeting with Vice President Boediono here Thursday, said Yopie Hidayat, the vice president`s spokesman.

"The handling (of the impacts) by the government has been rated excellent as thousands of residents around the mountain were saved," Yopie said.

He made the statement to the media after accompanying the vice-president at the meeting with the two US officials. Pallister conducted research on Mt Merapi in 2006.

Yopie quoted Pallister as saying that the efforts of Dr. Surono, head of Indonesia`s Volcanological and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), in monitoring the volcano`s activities had been very accurate and quick so that the number of casualties could be kept at a minimum.

Although VDAP was equipped with the most sophisticated instruments available for monitoring active volcanoes, its personnel intended to learn from Indonesia about the handling of the impacts of volcanic eruptions, Pallister told Boediono, accoridng to Yopie.

"This is possible because Indonesia has so many active volcanoes that it is deemed highly experienced in monitoring volcanic activity," Yopie said, noting that Indonesia lay in a part of the so-called "Pacific ring of fire", with its main islands hosting 129 active volcanoes, including Merapi on Java island.

At the meeting with the vice president, the VDAP, an agency under the US Department of Interior, donated sophisticated volcano monitoring equipment valued at 241,000 US dollars to replace equipment incinerated during Mt Merapi`s recent eruptions.

Mount Merapi began its series of deadly eruptions on 26 October 2010 and calmed down in mid November. Seismic activity around the volcano increased from mid-September onwards, culminating in repeated outbursts of lava and ashes. Large eruption columns formed, causing numerous pyroclastic flows down the heavily populated slopes of the volcano.

Merapi`s eruption was evaluated by central and provincial authorities to be the largest since the 1870s when the volcano that is located amid two provinces, Yogyakarta and Central Java, where live about 1.5 million people.

At least 275 people were killed during the latest eruptions, many as a result of pyroclastic flows that have also displaced over 350,000 people.

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