2010-11-20
AMDA Emergency Bulletin #2: Mt. Merapi Volcano Eruption, Central Java, Indonesia

On Nov. 17th AMDA's relief personnel from AMDA Headquarters and AMDA Indonesia joined together upon their arrival in Surakarta, Central Java. According to AMDA Indonesia, Mt. Merapi's volcanic eruption fell dormant last week and led the ashes to decline. AMDA Indonesia brought medicine (antibiotic etc) in a cardboard box and ten instillators from Makassar (South Sulawesi) where AMDA Indonesia is headquartered.

Later that day, AMDA's relief team joined the director-general of YKP Surakarta, AMDA's local counterpart, to discussed further activities. According to the director-general, the number of evacuees decreased overall but there are still many evacuees in Muntilan, a town located in the west side of Mt. Merapi.

On Nov. 18th the team procured medicine in Surakarta and moved to Muntilan. The team also picked up one interpreter at Yogyakarta along the way.

According to UNOCHA (as of Nov. 18th), almost 70,000 evacuees returned to their homes after the government declared some no-go areas safe again but the emergency response phase is still in place. As of now, as many as 300,000 people have been displaced and more than 575 people remain hospitalized following recent eruptions. The officials said they are unable to estimate when it will end, and as long as the volcano remains on highest alert, the emergency phase will remain in effect.

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