Mount Merapi, Gunung Merapi ('Mountain of Fire'), is a conical volcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is very close to the city of Yogyakarta, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1700 m above sea level.
This situation report is based on information provided by the office of the United Nations Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC)'s office in Jakarta.
Situation
The volcanic activity of Mt. Merapi has calmed down, however smany small volcanic tremors and pyroclastic (heat clouds) flows have still been observed.
On 19 May, Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) reported that 907 People were in shelters in Boyolali District, 8,866 in Magelang, 6,163 in Sleman, and 4,144 in Klaten, totalling to 20,080 persons.
Some evacuees prefer to remain together with their extended families, causing overcrowding. Also, some move between their villages and shelters without prior notice, which makes determining actual needs and planning response efforts more difficult. Preliminary information from the Inter-Agency Mission highlights the urgent need for a hygiene promotion campaign in all districts.
National response
On 18 May, the District Governor in Magelang reported that the Central Java provincial government had established a provincial command post in Magelang to coordinate response activities of the three affected districts of Magelang, Boyolali, and Klaten.
Abbreviations · BAKORNAS PB: National Coordinating Board for the Management of Disaster · BPPTK: Center for Volcano Research and Technology Development · MENKOKESRA: Deputy for Disaster Management of Coordinating Ministry for People's Welfare · ORARI: Amateur Radio Organization of Indonesia · PDAM: local state owned water company · PMI: Palang Merah Indonesia (Indonesian Red Cross) · SATLAK: District Disaster Management Committee · SATKORLAK: Provincial Coordinating Unit for the Management of Disasters · SO2: sulphur oxide
