"The evacuees had been accommodated at various school buildings and given tents from the local administration," secretary of Tomohon city administration Arnold Poli said here on Friday.
Many of residents who chose to stay put and had been strongly suggested by the regional administration to go to safer places, eventually were forced to leave their homes following a volcanic tremor shook them at night.
The residents to eventually were also evacuated joined the more than 2,000 others already staying at several school buildings and some other safer places.
The residents who eventually chose to leave their places came from Kinilow, Kinilow I, Kakaskasen, Tinoor, Woloan and Tara-tara villages.
Many had been given accommodation at school buildings and some other safe places, like the SMK in Tomohon, Christian SMA, SMP I and Christian SMA in Tomohon city,
Reports from the regional administration from the Mt Lokon monitoring post the situation became worse after 60 volcanic shocks including 30 superficial shocks from the volcano, with an amplitude of 0,5-4 millimeters.
In the meantime North Sulawesi Governor SH Sarundajang through his special aide for information and communications Michael Umbas asked the residents not to panic and remain alert.
"The residents need to always follow the directives of the regional administration, and not to be too free going outside and engage in activities outside their homes and ignore the latest condition of the volcano," he said.
In the major eruptions in the night many people panicked rushing out of their homes frightening them with the loud eruptions.
And many of the houses had been abandoned just like that, because they are only 3.5 km from the cauldron.(*)
(H-NG/S012)
Editor: Ruslan Burhani
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
