LIVING WITH MOUNT LIVING WITH MOUNT MERAPI, INDONESIA MERAPI, INDONESIA

APRIL- MAY 2006APRIL- MAY 2006

MOUNT MERAPIMOUNT MERAPI ANOTHER ANOTHER

INDONESIAN INDONESIAN VOLCANO, VOLCANO, KRAKATOA, KRAKATOA, ERUPTED IN 1883, ERUPTED IN 1883, SENDING ASH, DUST, SENDING ASH, DUST, AND PARTICLES AND PARTICLES AROUND THE WORLD. AROUND THE WORLD.

MOUNT MERAPI, MOUNT MERAPI, 2914 M (9640 FT) 2914 M (9640 FT) HIGH, IS KNOWN AS HIGH, IS KNOWN AS “FIRE MOUNTAIN,” “FIRE MOUNTAIN,”

ITS LAST ERUPTION ITS LAST ERUPTION WAS IN 1994.WAS IN 1994.

IN THE 1994 IN THE 1994 ERUPTION, A HOT ERUPTION, A HOT GAS CLOUD KILLED GAS CLOUD KILLED 60 PEOPLE.60 PEOPLE.

MOUNT MERAPIMOUNT MERAPI

MOUNT MERAPIMOUNT MERAPI INDONESIA IS A LAND OF 220 MILLION INDONESIA IS A LAND OF 220 MILLION

PEOPLE AND 129 ACTIVE VOLCANOES.PEOPLE AND 129 ACTIVE VOLCANOES. INDONESIA IS KNOWN AS THE “LAND OF INDONESIA IS KNOWN AS THE “LAND OF

FIRE.”FIRE.” MOUNT MERAPI IS LOCATED IN THE MOUNT MERAPI IS LOCATED IN THE

MOST DENSLY POPULATED PART OF MOST DENSLY POPULATED PART OF INDONESIAINDONESIA

TOURISTS OBSERVING MOUNT TOURISTS OBSERVING MOUNT MERAPI ON APRIL 20, 2006MERAPI ON APRIL 20, 2006

MOUNT MERAPI SHOWING SIGNS MOUNT MERAPI SHOWING SIGNS OF LIFE ON APRIL 22, 2006OF LIFE ON APRIL 22, 2006

SOME EVACUATE BY FLEEING SOME EVACUATE BY FLEEING TO THE FOOTHILLS TO THE FOOTHILLS

MOUNT MERAPI VENTS ON MOUNT MERAPI VENTS ON MAY 5, 2006MAY 5, 2006

FARMER WORKS WHILE MOUNT FARMER WORKS WHILE MOUNT MERAPI VENTS ON MAY 6, 2006MERAPI VENTS ON MAY 6, 2006

MOUNT MERAPI SHOWS SIGNS MOUNT MERAPI SHOWS SIGNS OF ERUPTING ON MAY 7, 2006OF ERUPTING ON MAY 7, 2006

INITIAL GROUP OF EVACUEES INITIAL GROUP OF EVACUEES RETURN HOME ON MAY 7RETURN HOME ON MAY 7

ADDITIONAL EVACUEES ADDITIONAL EVACUEES WAITING TO RETURN, MAY 9WAITING TO RETURN, MAY 9

PART OF LARGE EVACUATION PART OF LARGE EVACUATION ON MAY 11ON MAY 11

MOUNT MERAPIMOUNT MERAPI THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA THE GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA

ISSUED THE HIGHEST ALERT FOR ISSUED THE HIGHEST ALERT FOR MERAPI ON SATURDAY, MAY 13.MERAPI ON SATURDAY, MAY 13.

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, MOSQUES, AND SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, MOSQUES, AND MILITARY COLLABORATED IN HELPING MILITARY COLLABORATED IN HELPING AN ESTIMATE4D 30,000 PEOPLE AN ESTIMATE4D 30,000 PEOPLE EVACUATE. EVACUATE.

MOUNT MERAPI THREAT MOUNT MERAPI THREAT INCREASES ON MAY 14, 2006INCREASES ON MAY 14, 2006

MOUNT MERAPI ON MAY 15, 2006MOUNT MERAPI ON MAY 15, 2006

MOUNT MERAPI EMITS LARGE MOUNT MERAPI EMITS LARGE CLOUD OF HOT GASES, MAY 15CLOUD OF HOT GASES, MAY 15

MAY 15 ERUPTION OF MOUNT MAY 15 ERUPTION OF MOUNT MERAPIMERAPI

VULCANOLOGISTS BELIEVED THAT THE VULCANOLOGISTS BELIEVED THAT THE ERUPTION ON MONDAY, MAY 15, ERUPTION ON MONDAY, MAY 15, WHICH BLEW OUT A 2 ½ MILES WIDE WHICH BLEW OUT A 2 ½ MILES WIDE CLOUD OF DEADLY GAS, ASH, AND CLOUD OF DEADLY GAS, ASH, AND ROCK,, WAS THE MAJOR ERUPTION ROCK,, WAS THE MAJOR ERUPTION THAT EVERYONE WAS EXPECTING. THAT EVERYONE WAS EXPECTING.

PRESIDENT YUDHOYNO AND PRESIDENT YUDHOYNO AND FIRST LADY ON MAY 16FIRST LADY ON MAY 16

ON MAY 17, MOUNT MERAPI ON MAY 17, MOUNT MERAPI SHOWED IT WAS NOT THROUGHSHOWED IT WAS NOT THROUGH AFTER TWO DAYS OF QUIESENCE, AFTER TWO DAYS OF QUIESENCE,

ANOTHER ERUPTION. ANOTHER ERUPTION. IT WAS ANOTHER OF THOSE “GAS IT WAS ANOTHER OF THOSE “GAS

CLOUDS” LIKE THE ONE IN 1994.CLOUDS” LIKE THE ONE IN 1994. IT WAS MOVING AT 100 TO 160 KM/HR IT WAS MOVING AT 100 TO 160 KM/HR

(60 TO 100 MI/HR).(60 TO 100 MI/HR). THE GAS CLOUD WAS DEADLY, THE GAS CLOUD WAS DEADLY,

BECAUSE IT WAS SUPER HEATED TO BECAUSE IT WAS SUPER HEATED TO AROUND 950 DEGREES F.AROUND 950 DEGREES F.

MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTS ON MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTS ON MAY 17MAY 17

MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTS ON MOUNT MERAPI ERUPTS ON MAY 17MAY 17

WORKING IN VOLCANIC ASH WORKING IN VOLCANIC ASH FROM MOUNT MERAPI, MAY 17FROM MOUNT MERAPI, MAY 17

A LAVA DOME IS GROWING ON A LAVA DOME IS GROWING ON MOUNT MERAPIMOUNT MERAPI

NEW CONCERN AT MOUNT NEW CONCERN AT MOUNT MERAPIMERAPI

DURING MAY, MOUNT MERAPI, WHICH IS DURING MAY, MOUNT MERAPI, WHICH IS CALLED “FIRE MOUNTAIN,” BUILT UP A LAVA CALLED “FIRE MOUNTAIN,” BUILT UP A LAVA DOME OF MORE THAN 90 M (300 FT) ON TOP DOME OF MORE THAN 90 M (300 FT) ON TOP OF A 2914 M (9,640 FT) SUMMIT.OF A 2914 M (9,640 FT) SUMMIT.

AT PRESENT, THE FEAR IS THAT THE LAVA AT PRESENT, THE FEAR IS THAT THE LAVA DOME WILL EXPLODE AND SEND RIVERS OF DOME WILL EXPLODE AND SEND RIVERS OF LAVA DOWN THE SOUTH SLOPE OF MERAPI.LAVA DOWN THE SOUTH SLOPE OF MERAPI.

FIFTEEN VILLAGES ARE LOCATED ON THE FIFTEEN VILLAGES ARE LOCATED ON THE SOUTH SLOPE. SOUTH SLOPE.