Basarnas Intensifys Evacuation Of Residents Anticipating The Semeru Flats Eruption

JAKARTA - Basarnas intensified efforts to evacuate residents in Lumajang Regency, East Java as a measure to anticipate the dangers of the follow-up eruption of Mount Semeru.

Basarnas Deputy for Operations and Preparedness Edy Prakoso said the personnel dispatched strengthened efforts to evacuate residents in vulnerable areas or within the exposure radius of Semeru's volcanic material.

"We have dispatched personnel from the Jember SAR Post to help evacuate residents because there are also some residents who have carried out independent evacuations," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, November 19.

According to him, the evacuation task was carried out by personnel from the Jember SAR Post Basarnas together with a joint team from BNPB, and BPBD, TNI/Polri in the regions.

Joint officers are divided into a number of points to ensure that the evacuation process runs in an orderly and safe manner, especially for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and residents who live near the river flow which is upstream on Mount Semeru.

As reported by the BNPB Operations Control Center, at least 300 residents have been evacuated to evacuations tonight prepared by a joint team of officers at the Oro-oro Ombo Village Hall, Penanggal Village Hall and Supiturang 2 Elementary School building in Pronojiwo District, Lumajang.

Edy ensured that in addition to assisting evacuation efforts, his personnel were also deployed to be prepared to monitor the flow of rivers originating from the Semeru flow to anticipate the potential for cold lava flooding when it rains.

Basarnas considers this important to be done considering that volcanic material can be carried to residential areas and main access lines if high rainfall flushes the slopes around the eruption center.

"Tonight the team is also monitoring anticipation in the event of rain that can cause cold lava flooding," said Edy, while ensuring that Basarnas together with all technical ministries/agencies, local governments and local volunteers continue to monitor developments to ensure evacuation routes remain safe.

The Geological Agency of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) previously reported that Mount Semeru erupted at 16.00 WIB with an eruption column height observed about 2,000 meters above the peak.

In the eruption, Mount Semeru emitted hot clouds which had a sliding distance of up to seven kilometers from the summit with a column of gray ash observed with thick intensity to the north and northwest.

Eruption was recorded on the seismogram of the Volcano Monitoring Post of the Geological Agency in Lumajang with a maximum amplitude of 40 mm and a duration of about 16 minutes 40 seconds.

The eruption activity of Mount Semeru was then confirmed to end at 18.11 WIB, but the government and the Geological Agency still set Level IV (Awas) status to anticipate potential further activities that might occur.