In addition to handing out hazmat suits, face shields, and surgical masks, the PMI deployed its volunteers to the disaster zones to assist in the evacuation of those in need and facilitate other mitigation efforts," PMI Secretary General Sudirman Said remarked.
The aid packages were doled out to displaced people residing in temporary shelters and rescuers on the ground to protect them from the circulating volcanic ash that may have a dire impact on their respiratory health, he was quoted by ANTARA as saying here Tuesday.
In the first phase, one thousand hazmat suits and one thousand face shields will be distributed in Yogyakarta's disaster zones, while the affected zones in Central Java will receive three thousand hazmat suits, three thousand face shields, and 50 thousand surgical masks.
"In the subsequent phases, we have prepared for immediate distribution to the affected areas," PMI official for logistics affairs, Ilham Huznul, stated.
Huznul added that the on-ground PMI volunteers had coordinated with related authorities to help evacuate the affected residents in several villages within the vulnerable disaster zones of Mount Merapi.
For aiding the evacuation and mitigation endeavors, the PMI also dispatched two Hagglunds to areas not easily reachable by vehicles.
Mount Merapi has frequently erupted over the past decade. In 2010, ANTARA noted that its eruption claimed some 300 lives.
On June 21, 2020, the 2,930-meter-high volcano, situated on the border of Yogyakarta's Sleman District and Central Java Province, again erupted twice, producing a six thousand-meter-high ash column.
During that time, Head of the Sleman District Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Makwan revealed that the height of the ash column of the first eruption was estimated at six thousand meters from Mount Merapi's peak, while its amplitude was recorded at 75 millimeters.
However, no ash rain was produced in the two eruptions, and the situation remained safe in Glagaharjo Village, Cangkringan Sub-district, Sleman District, Yogyakarta Province, he confirmed.
Meanwhile, on November 9, 2020, some 50 villagers, largely toddlers, pregnant women, and seniors, residing on Mount Merapi’s slopes were evacuated to temporary refugee camps in Tlogolele, Selo, Boyolali, Central Java, as a precautionary measure against the volcano's eruption.
According to Solekan, a local community leader, and volunteers, the evacuees were from the villages of Dukuh Stabelan and Takeran. The number of evacuees is expected to increase as more residents would soon be moved to a safer area, he stated.
Joint teams, comprising the military, police, PMI (Red Cross), local disaster mitigation officers, and volunteers, conducted the evacuation by applying the requisite health protocols against COVID-19, he remarked.
Earlier, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X and Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo had urged local villagers to stay vigilant though avoid panicking. Related news: 50 villagers residing on slopes of active Mount Merapi evacuated
Related news: Mount Merapi erupts again, spewing huge ash cloud
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Aditia AR, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2020
