Mount Lewotobi Rises NTT With Alert Status, 11 Dulipali Residents Evacuated By SAR Team

The eruption column soared out of the crater of Mount Lewotobi Laki on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara, on Tuesday (9/1/2024). (ANTARA)

The Joint SAR Team of the Mount Lewotobi Male Eruption Disaster SAR Post in Wulanggitang District, East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), evacuated 11 residents of Dulipali Village who were still surviving after the increase in mountain status to Level IV or Alert. "We evacuated at night, there were approximately six elderly and vulnerable ages, then around four mothers, one child," said the Operations Coordinator of the Mount Lewotobi Laki Basarnas, Yudha Pradana Putra, in Wulanggitang District, East Flores, reported by ANTARA Wednesday, January 10. The Joint SAR team carried out the evacuation process after coordinating with the Observation Post Mount Lewotobi Male. Observation posts gave recommendations for the village to be vacated because it became the village most affected by the magmatic eruption on Wednesday morning.

In general, according to Yudha, the villagers had carried out self-evacuation because they saw the impact of the eruption that occurred continuously. However, there are still 11 residents who chose to stay there. Yudha said that the evacuation process of 10 residents of Dulipali Village could run smoothly, while one vulnerable resident who is the host was not willing to leave the house he lived in. Therefore, efforts to evacuate the elderly (elderly) were carried out twice. In the second effort, the Joint SAR Team made a humanist approach through a member who is also a local citizen. After the negotiation effort was carried out in 10 minutes, the elderly man wanted to be taken to the evacuation post in Wulanggitang District. "All evacuation processes were carried out together with the entire Joint SAR Team, namely Basarnas, PMI Sikka, Brimob Polda NTT, Polairud Polda NTT, and other SAR potentials," said Yudha.

The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) appealed to residents to leave or vacate Dulipali Village, Ile Bura District after the status of Mount Lewotobi Laki on Tuesday at 23.00 WITA. "For now, one sectoral northwest-north village must be vacated. From the KRB map, Dulipali Village," said Head of the Lewotobi Laki Volcano Observation Post, Herman Yosep in Waulanggitang, Wednesday morning.