Thousands evacuated, though Talang calming down

Thousands evacuated, though Talang calming down

The Jakarta Post, Padang

More than 25,000 residents living on the slopes of Mount Talang
in Solok regency, West Sumatra are still staying in makeshift
shelters although the mountain, which spewed hot ash on Tuesday,
showed less activity on Wednesday.

Many residents spent the night in tents in open fields while
others took refuge in schools and government buildings in nearby
towns.

"The whole family is stressed. It's better to be here now than
to live in fear," Yusmalidar, 40, told Reuters. He had just been
evacuated in a government truck with his wife and three children.

Amrizal Rangkayo, a 42-year-old resident now living in a tent
in Air Batumbo, a village around eight kilometers from Talang,
told AP he first heard the eruption at about 3:30 a.m. on
Tuesday. "That frightened us and therefore we fled our villages,"
he said.

Volcanologist Dalipa, who heads the Batu Bajanjang observation
post under the directorate of volcanology, mitigation and
geological disasters, told The Jakarta Post there were no
significant eruptions recorded from Mount Talang from 6 p.m. on
Tuesday to 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

"From Tuesday night to 6 a.m. today (Wednesday), there were
only six small eruptions," he said.

He said this was unlike Monday to noon on Tuesday, when there
were five big eruptions, spewing hot ash which reached a
residential area 10 kilometers away, and hundreds of small
eruptions.

However, he could not guarantee the 2,574-meter high mountain
would not become more active.

"We need two to three more days to evaluate and to determine
whether Mount Talang's activity will decrease or not, and whether
it has the potential for a bigger eruption," Dalipa said.

Solok Regent Gamawan Fauzi said that 25,150 residents from
five villages in Lembang Jaya and Gunung Talang districts, which
are located within a five km radius from the danger zone, have
been evacuated to seven districts.

The regental administration provided the refugees with tents
as well as food and clean water, he added.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited residents living in
makeshift shelters in Solok on Wednesday, Antara reported, saying
the government would pay attention to their plight.

"Although the disaster here is on a smaller scale compared
what happened in Aceh and Nias, the government cares," said the
President, who delivered a Rp 500 million (US$55,555) donation
for the victims.

Experts said earlier the eruption was likely triggered by the
6.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked Padang on Sunday, the
epicenter of which was near Siberut island, some 115 km west of
the city. Mount Talang, which is on an alert status, lies 40
kilometers east of Padang.

Parts of Sumatra are still recovering from the quake-triggered
tsunami and another massive quake which devastated its western
coastal area, with Nias island worst hit.