Heads Up: Massive Volcanic Eruptions In Indonesia (Dialup Warning & Incl. Some Very Graphic Images)

[Turborama]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/11/201011601513955961.html">Indonesia Ramps Up Volcano Relief



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4600706#4601519">News About Yesterday's Eruption - The Largest In 100 Years

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4604219">Indonesia's Merapi Volcano Causes International Flight Cancellations - May Affect Obama's Visit

Residents of Balerante village prepare to flee, Nov. 1, as Mount Merapi spews smoke and ash.


People watch Mount Merapi spewing volcanic materials in Deles on Nov. 2.


Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke as it erupted Wednesday as seen from Sidorejo village in Klaten, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, Nov. 3.


Mount Merapi volcano spews smoke as it erupted again on Wednesday as seen from Sidorejo village in Klaten, near the ancient
city of Yogyakarta, Nov. 4


A view from a domestic flight from Denpasar to Yogyakarta shows a plume of gas and ash
billowing some six miles high from the Mount Merapi volcano during an eruption on November 5.
Volcanologists said the "high intensity" eruption was the strongest yet from the 9,616-foot
Mount Merapi.



Villagers watch as Mount Merapi volcano erupts, as seen from Wukirsari village in Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta Nov. 5.


Lava and ash spew from Mount Merapi as seen from Klaten district in Central Java province before dawn on Nov. 6.


Lightning strikes as Mount Merapi erupts, spewing towering clouds of hot gas and debris, as seen from Ketep village in Indonesia's central Java province on Nov. 6.


Volunteers rescue burned victims of the Mount Merapi eruption on Nov. 6 in Argomulyo village,which was devastated by deadly clouds of volcanic ash.


Rescuers carry a body bag as they evacuate victims of a Mount Merapi eruption in the village of Cangkringan, Indonesia, Nov. 6.


Detail of a dead body swept by Mount Merapi's hot clouds gas ' Wedus Gembel'
in the village of Cangkringan, Indonesia, 06 November 2010.




Victims of Mount Merapi eruption lie covered in volcanic ash as rescuers search for others in a village that was hit by pyroclastic flow in Argomulyo, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 6.


An Indonesian policeman pats a surviving monkey after the village was swept by Mount Merapi's 'Wedus Gembel' hot gas clouds, Cangkringan, Indonesia, Nov. 6.


Lava and ash spew from Mount Merapi in Indonesia's central Java province before dawn on
Sunday, Nov. 7

ETA For anyone who may not know already, I'm an expat (moved to Indonesia 5 years ago) living at the base of one of Merapi's sisters on another island in Indonesia. It's the wet season here and every time I hear a clap of thunder I can't help but wonder whether it was something else. My wife's family live in East Java, about 20 miles from Mount Bromo...

[polly7]

1. So heartbreaking. n/t.

[subsuelo]

33. puts into perspective the unimportance of how well my team did today. n/t

[Parker CA]

2. Absolutely incredible images. The last few remind me of Pompeii. Wow. nt.

[malaise]

3. Yes

Frightening indeed

[Odin2005]

9. I thought the same thing!

:cry:

[aquart]

14. Pyroclastic flow. It is the same.

[nadinbrzezinski]

29. Absolutely

[phantom power]

4. jesus christ, that's awful

[jaxx]

5. OMG those poor people.

This is awful.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Holy Wow

Just Holy Wow !

[Stardust]

7. There are no words to convey my sympathy for your country. So, so sorry. :-(

[Scurrilous]

8. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Odin2005]

10. Good God! I hope that thing doesn;t explode like Tambora!

:(

[Spazito]

11. OMG, I didn't realize how bad it was....

thank you for posting this and my heart goes out to you and all those affected by this catastrophe.

:hug:

[Catherina]

12. How ghastly!

Those poor people! What a tragedy. What a tragedy for the animals, the children, the elderly, what an unimaginable horror.

I live between three volcanoes and these pictures are scaring the crap out of me.

Are other countries responding with help?

[seabeyond]

13. is it the gases? the volcanic ash suffocating? that causes death.

wow, to the pictures.

[pinboy3niner]

16. Many deaths were due to intense heat

According to reports I've seen, victims 9 miles away from the volcano were killed by heat so intense it fused their clothing to their flesh.

[seabeyond]

27. got it. i dont know much about this disaster. thanks. wow. nt

[DirkGently]

15. Horrifying. Those poor people ...

[dixiegrrrrl]

17. Thank you for posting these pics.

I am sorry they had to be posted, tho.

News we do not get in much detail from MSM.

[madrchsod]

18. that`s going to cool off the northern hemisphere for a few years....

stay safe!

[Cleita]

19. Fascinating pictures of a terrible tragedy for every

living thing.

[PufPuf23]

20. Terrible human disaster. Awesome pictures of nature.

Be safe. Thank you for your posts.

[Turborama]

21. At the bottom of this MSNBC page there's an interactive graphic which shows the scale

Of the whole thing - lost it, found it again but ran out of time to add it on edit: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39984640/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

[Violet_Crumble]

22. How well have the authorities been dealing with evacuations?

I'm kinda guessing they'd have a fair bit of experience given how active a lot of Indonesian volcanos are, but I'm not sure.

I was surprised to see one of those photos of the volcano was taken from a commercial flight. I heard some international flights to Indonesia were being cancelled until this is over, and I would have thought it'd be too dangerous to fly anywhere near that volcano...

[Turborama]

30. It's been going quite well, from what I can gather, &they haven't asked for international assistance

Yet. The President cut a foreign trip short and has visited Yogykarta twice. He's sent in a brigade of brigade of troops to help, too. The Jakarta Post has more details here: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/11/06/sby-returns-yogya-sends-a-brigade-refugees.html

I found http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4600706&mesg_id=4601555">a report which said that 1.3million people have been advised to take shelter.

I've heard reports, on Al Jazeera English I think, that this is predicted to go on for several weeks, but who really knows?

[bertman]

23. Incredible pics, Turborama. Thank you for posting this. Rec. nt

[Dappleganger]

24. How horrific!

Can't imagine the fear going through the minds of those villagers at this time. Why isn't this all over the US news??

[KittyWampus]

25. hope the death was instant or nearly so.

[Fuzz]

26. Wow, amazing pictures.

[Turborama]

28. Some more...

A villager carries her child as she walks in Ketep village.


A girl takes a picture of Mount Merapi volcano as it erupts and spews out clouds of hot gas and debris as seen from Wukirsari village in
Sleman, near the ancient city of Yogyakarta, November 4, 2010.


Children carry an umbrella to shield themselves from ash as they walk among ash-covered tents at a temporary shelter in Jumoyo
village in the city of Magelang November 5, 2010.


A child takes cover under a sheet of newspaper during an ash rain at a temporary shelter at Jumoyo
village in the city of Magelang


Indonesian soldiers distribute food for refugees at a temporary shelter for those affected by the
eruption


Refugees rummage through second-hand clothes that were distributed at a refugee camp in Yogyakarta

[Turborama]

47. 'Smart Car' Entertains Displaced Indonesian Children in Merapi Shelter

Arientha Primanita | November 08, 2010


Children at Gajah Mada University's evacuation
center watching a cartoon movie on Monday.
(JG Photo/Arientha Primanita)

Yogyakarta. Around 50 child evacuees in Gajah Mada University's sport stadium were visited on Monday by an educational service providing story books, videos and computers with internet connection. The 'Mobil Pintar' ('Smart Car') service came to relieve the boredom of the children who were displaced by the recurrent eruption of nearby Mount Merapi.

Muhammad Amin, a student volunteer, said the morning's activities were to bring entertainment to take their minds off the traumatic events of the previous few days. "Volunteers from the Faculty of Psychology help with counseling and entertainment activities for the children," Amin told the Jakarta Globe.

The volunteers led the children in singing and dancing activities, and afterward they gathered on mats behind the Smart Car to watch an Upin and Ipin cartoon.

Dian, 10, and his sisters, Yuli and Dina, who came to the evacuee camp with their mother and relatives from Kaliurang Timur, said they were excited to see the smart car. "We want to read the picture books," the children said.

From: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/smart-car-entertains-displaced-indonesian-children-in-merapi-shelter/405489

[Turborama]

48. Rescue for Merapi’s Furry Survivors

Katrin Figge | November 08, 2010


A local resident carries a cat on his motorcycle
as residents are evacuated to a safer place in
Cangkringan village in Yogyakarta, on Sunday, during
Mount Merapi's eruption.(EPA Photo/Adi Weda)

While Mount Merapi continues to spew hot clouds and ash in what has been called its worst eruption in more than a century, rescue teams are tirelessly evacuating citizens to safety. But for 25 volunteers, it’s not just humans who are in desperate need of saving. Volunteers from the Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Animal Friends Jogja and Center for Orangutan Protection left the Indonesian capital on Oct. 27, a day after the volcano first erupted, and immediately headed for the affected area to save pets and livestock.

=snip=

“The other team is going up the mountain every day in our pick-up truck from Jakarta to find grass and corn to feed the livestock. The last one is sweeping the area, looking for any animals that were left behind, like dogs, cats and birds,” she said.

Of utmost priority, she said, were animals who suffered burns and pets left behind in cages without food or water. Volunteers nurse injured animals back to health by giving them antibiotics and vitamins or rubbing burn ointment on the animals’ skin. Some domestic animals are taken back to the group’s base camp for treatment, while rescued wildlife are handed over to the Yogyakarta Wildlife Rescue Center.

=snip=

"The trees are cracking from the heat, branches are falling down. There are a lot of monkeys out there, and they are all starving. They can’t find food anymore. That’s why we brought them corn.”

After almost a week of tireless rescue, the team was suddenly barred from going up Merapi on Saturday, after authorities deemed the situation too dangerous. The same day, the base camp, originally 20 kilometers from the mountain’s crater, was moved to Yogyakarta as authorities widened the danger zone radius.

“We are really concerned about the condition of the animals now,” Haas said. “We don’t know if they are still alive, if they are burnt. It’s so sad because we are unable to take care of them.

“It’s pretty frightening because you are walking through deserted villages where all the people have died already,” Haas said. “It’s like a ghost town, filled with dust and everything. It’s horrible. In the last few days, people started banging on our truck while we were passing by, asking us to feed their animals,” she added. “But with our limited resources, there is only so much we can do.”

Despite the pressures and hazards, Haas said the team had not yet lost hope. “We are trying as much as we can.”

Full article: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/lifeandtimes/rescue-for-merapis-furry-survivors/405547

(apologies for going over the paragraph limit but it was just too hard to work out what to leave out)

[proud patriot]

31. Jaw Dropping Images

just heartbreaking for the people and animals there . Thanks for putting this thread together .

[Evasporque]

56. Ditto....puts the impact on a very human scale...

Those are very emotionally charged pictures..

What can people do...? They sit and watch the earth in action...amazing...

[Turborama]

32. News Update: Merapi eruptions displace almost 300,000

By foreign affairs editor Peter Cave

Posted 38 minutes ago

Almost 300,000 people have now been displaced from their homes after almost two weeks of eruptions from Indonesia's Merapi volcano in central Java.

The death toll passed 130 at the weekend as the eruption, which is the worst for Mount Merapi since the 1870s, caused the cancellation of most international flights into the country and caused chaos for domestic flights.

Heavy ash has closed airports in Yogyakarta, Solo and Bandung in central Java.

The government has issued a 20-kilometre exclusion zone around Mount Merapi, where most of those who have died have been suffocated by ash and poisonous gases or burnt alive by pyroclastic flows.

However, the devastation covers many hundreds of square kilometres of surrounding countryside where ash as thick as sand and fine as cement powder has created a filthy gray wasteland.

More: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/11/08/3059674.htm?section=justin

[proteus_lives]

34. That volcano is the definition of terrible beauty.

[apocalypsehow]

35. Wow - "graphic" doesn't do it justice. My heart goes out to the people in the region, especially the

victims. I hope the International Community does all it can to help them.

Rec.

[Poll_Blind]

36. A reminder of the beauty and danger of living on our Earth...and the preciousness of life.

There, as the saying goes, go we but for the good graces of God. Sometimes it can be difficult to imagine the things that go on on this big, big, old, old planet of ours. May they watch over and protect one another, as we should protect us all.

PB

[TheMadMonk]

37. I'm glad that dome in the Nov 4 closeup appears to have popped.

That looked nasty.

However it appears there is now an open vent there, so fingers crossed.

[tavalon]

38. Fuck, that is awful

I hope I can find a relief organization other than Red Cross to donate to.

[loudsue]

39. Good gawd, turbo...please be careful. And be safe!

Those pictures are heart breaking and superb photography. Whoever took those is quite a photojournalist. The pictures told the story. :cry:

[progressoid]

40. Dear God.

[Turborama]

41. Metro TV News keep adding breaking news videos to their site

The clips are in Indonesian but the video footage is the most up to date available & are used widely by international news channels. If you use Google Chrome the text on the site can be translated with ease:.

Latest videos: http://www.metrotvnews.com/read/newsvideo/2010/11/08/116507/Abu-Vulkanik-Merapi-Terlihat-di-Depok

They stream live too and any breaking news interrupts what's being shown at the time (they sometimes broadcast in English, too): http://www.metrotvnews.com/index.php/metromain/streaming

[Blue_In_AK]

42. Incredible photographs.

I can't imagine the suffering.

Be safe over there. We have volcanoes here, too, but luckily ours are mostly in uninhabited areas. When any of the ones around Anchorage erupt, we just get a light ash fall and a little bit of sulphur smell, nothing like this. It must be absolutely terrifying for these people.

[sabrina 1]

43. So sad, those photos are heart-breaking, the animals, people,

the little monkey who seems so happy to find a human to pet him.

Someone above said the last few photos reminded him/her of Pompeii. I was thinking the same thing. The photography is amazing.

So many tragedies around the world :cry:

[cascadiance]

44. Wow.... I was born in Yogyakarta in that area...

Needless to say, I'm glad I'm not there now! Horrible!

It seems that they've been getting a rash of eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis in that area recently. When are they going to catch a break?

[Turborama]

49. People are starting to evacuate Yogyakarta

Do you have any family and/or friends there?

'Like that movie 2012': Terrified crowds flee erupting volcano

'My parents have been calling ... saying 'You have to get out of there! You have to come home!''

msnbc.com news services
updated 2 hours 14 minutes ago

MOUNT MERAPI, Indonesia — Frightened residents in a bustling city of 400,000 at the foot of Indonesia's rumbling volcano headed out of town Monday, cramming onto trains and buses and even rented vehicles to seek refuge with family and friends far away.

Images of a mass burial for many of the 141 people killed in the last two weeks served as a reminder of the mountain's furry.

"My parents have been calling ... saying 'You have to get out of there! You have to come home!'" said Linda Ervana, a 21-year-old history student who was waiting with friends at a train station in the university town of Yogyakarta, 20 miles from Mount Merapi. After failing to get tickets, they finally decided to rent a minibus with other classmates.

"It feels like that movie '2012,'" said her 22-year-old friend, Paulina Setin. "Like a disaster in a movie."

Full article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40063638/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

[cascadiance]

51. No, my parents are American and were working there then...

And they moved back to the states while I was still less than a year old. They might have some friends that are still there, but we're talking about late 50's there, so those friends might have already passed away since then too. My dad has passed but I'll ask my Mom about it when I talk to her again to see if there are friends she wants to have us look up.

Still a horrendous sight to see knowing its a part of your past, even if its something you can't remember.

[a kennedy]

45. OMG....

just so sad, terrible. :cry: :cry: :cry:

[Turborama]

46. Bali's Mt. Batur Put Off-Limits to Tourists as Volcanic Status Upgraded to 2nd Highest Danger Level

Mount Batur Volcanic Slopes Closed to Tourism
Bali's Mount Batur Put Off-Limits to Tourists as Volcanic Status Upgraded to 'Waspada'.

19 volcanoes across Indonesia are currently classified at a "Waspada" alert status, the second highest danger level just short of a "Siaga" status reserved for mountains at an elevated level of tectonic activity.

One of the volcanoes placed on alert is Bali's Mount Batur which, as a result, has been closed to mountain climbers and other activities on its slopes until further notice. Mount Batur is Bali's second highest volcano at 1,717 meters and is located 63 kilometers from the island's capital of Denpasar.

Bali's highest volcano is sacred Mount Agung at 3,142 meters located in the regency of Karangasem.

Indonesia's Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Center in Badung, West Java, placed Mount Batur in a "waspada" status on November 8, 2010, moving it up from its previous classification at "normal and active" or "awas."

A unique "volcano within a volcano" Mount Batur can be closely observed by motorists driving along the edge of an ancient caldera from the villages of Kintamani and Penelokan. Mount Batur is actively emitting smoke with seismic activity also on the increase, according to the observation post manned the mountain.

According to Gede Bagiada, a government volcano watcher who works at Mount Batur, quoted by BeritaBali.com,: "In a 'waspada' status, the Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation Center is forbidding tourism and mountain climbers from venturing out onto Mount Batur. This prohibition will remain in place until such as time as the mountain resumes a more normal pattern of activity."

From 1804 until 2000 there have been 26 recorded explosions of Mount Batur. Scientist point to evidence of ancient cataclysmic explosions dating back 26,000 years. The most recent devastating explosion took place on August 2, 1926 with lava flows that devastated the village of Batur Kuno at the foot of the mountain.

© Bali Discovery Tours. Articles may be quoted and reproduced if attributed to http://www.balidiscovery.com. All images and graphics are copyright protected.

From: http://www.balidiscovery.com/messages/message.asp?Id=6462

[dotymed]

50. The human, animal and

economic toll to these people is horrendous. The pictures of the eruption are horrifyingly beautiful.

[FailureToCommunicate]

52. Astonishing, heart-rending images.

thanks for posting them, difficult as they are to view.

[barbtries]

53. really powerful pictures

thank you for posting, and i hope your family remains safe.

[texastoast]

54. Awful

No words. My prayers are with everyone and their families.

:cry:

[WillyT]

55. Christ...

:scared:

:kick: & R !!!

[defendandprotect]

57. Unbelievable pictures of this volcanic activity and citizens trying to cope with it ....

unimaginable !!

[Turborama]

58. Yogyakarta has just had a 5.6 earthquake. Anyone out there know how/if this could be related?

Article posted in LBN here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4607457

[Turborama]

59. Raw Video: Mount Merapi Stirs New Fears

Residents of Yogyakarta, the city at the base of Mount Merapi, remained on high alert amid fears that the volcano would erupt again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ke1MBLpgPw

[InvisibleTouch]

60. I have been to Mount Bromo.

During the night we climbed up to the lip of the crater expecting a spectacular sunrise which we never did get (it was overcast and very cold), but every now and again we'd catch a whiff of sulfur to remind us that we were sitting there on an active volcano. The whole island chain is studded with them. Be safe.

[Turborama]

62. What a shame! Apparently the sunrises there are mind blowing.

I keep meaning to go and for one reason or another never got around to it. When everything calms down I'm going to make a point of going and I'll post some pics of the sunrise, if there is one.

Where else in Indonesia did you visit?

[InvisibleTouch]

63. Mostly throughout Java...

...Surabaya, Borobudur (sp?), several other sites that I can't recall the name of (it's been 20+ years), Jakarta at the airport, and a few days on Bali. As a biologist and animal-lover, I was most delighted with the wildlife we saw: bats, sea snakes, monkeys. The rest of my family was more into the architectural sites, though (which are cool, but did not compare in my mind to the wildlife), and I couldn't for the life of me talk them into a trip to Komodo. (One adventurous uncle would have been happy to take me, but he could not get off work that long.) Still, it was a great trip and one of my very fond memories. To this day my favorite Summer clothes are the batik dresses I brought home or were sent to me by my aunt since then.

[BoneDaddy]

61. So tragic

and sad.