Latest News Of The Eruption Of Mount Semeru
This past week, Indonesia has been shaken by one of the shocking natural events or, maybe, the precise word is the natural disaster. It was the eruption of mount semeru. This news has become a hot topic in many news portals from Indonesia and international news portals.
Eruption Moment
According to the locals that live close to the foot of Mount Semeru, the eruption shows its sign on Friday night of December 3rd. At that time, they saw the lava start to pour out of the summit of this mountain. However, this kind of event seems a usual event that many people that live around the highest volcano in Java Island saw.
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However, on the afternoon of December 4th, this mountain started to erupt. It releases a massive amount of ash and dust into the air. It also created the pyroclastic cloud, which is the most dangerous substance that an erupted volcano can produce. And, this cloud is also the reason why many villages around this mountain have been destroyed.
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Currently, there are at least 17 people have died because of this disaster, mostly, they couldn’t escape from the pyroclastic cloud. Then, there are still 27 people on the mission, and more than 1,707 people that live in the village close to Mount Semeru evacuated to a safer place.
The Invisible Eruption Sign
Even though many people and experts said that the eruption of Mount Semeru came without any sign, according to Prof. Nana Sulaksana, the Professor of Geology Technique Faculty in Padjadjaran University, it is not true. Many natural signs have emerged one by one that show this mountain was about to erupt.
For example, one of the locals said four days before the big eruption on December 4th; many of them have seen the white line or crack close to the summit of this mountain. It is a sign that the lava has started to rise and exit the crater.
The other sign that locals also see was the water in the river that flows through the villages. It becomes dirty and muddy. It is a sign that there will be a pyroclastic cloud that came along with the eruption. And, the government also has predicted this sign to create the disaster map for the eruption of mount semeru. Therefore, they can focus on the evacuation process when the sign has become much clearer. Thanks to this, many people can evacuate safely.
Furthermore, Prof. Nana also said that the eruption of Mount Semeru has a pattern. Unlike Mount Merapi or Mount Sinabung, Mount Semeru has the pattern of one big eruption. Therefore, the Indonesian governments build different monitoring centers for each volcano in Indonesia, because of this different pattern they have. As for Mount Semeru, Prof. Nana predicted that it will erupt once than sleep for a long time.
The Government Act to Respond to the Mount Semeru Eruption Disaster
Emil Dardak, the Vice Governor of East Java Province, explained that the government has been sending the disaster response team to the location to help people who are evacuated. They have created various disaster centers where these affected people can stay safely, using the mosque or field based on the disaster map.
However, Emil explained that there is still a problem they are facing now. It is the lack of route to supply the daily needs and other items that people in the evacuation site needs. Mostly, it is caused by the mudflow that destroyed most of the bridges that connect the disaster area with other areas outside it. This eruption created a pretty strong and wild mudflow because it occurred along with the heavy rain.
The evacuation site is only reachable via Lumajang and Malang city. Therefore, the government has built the supply center in both cities. That way the delivery process to the evacuation site could be done without any problem. The supply consists of food and other daily needs.
Final Words
Mount Semeru stands 3,678 above sea level. It is one of the top destinations for mount climbing. The Mahameru peak is well-known for its challenges and beauty, which every climber wants to try to overcome. Let’s pray that the eruption of mount semeru end soon, so we can visit this mountain to enjoy its beauty.