The National Disaster Mitigation Agency has warned that seven volcanoes located across the archipelago are on alert statuses.
The agency said it has prepared measures for the worst-case scenarios and officials met on Saturday to discuss the measures, said agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugrowo.
The seven volcanoes are Papandayan Mountain in West Java, Karangetang and Lokon in North Sulawesi, Ijen in East Java, Gamalama in North Maluku, Anak Krakatau in Lampung and Lewotolo in East Nusa Tenggara.
Sutopo said the agency was closely monitoring each volcano, and that mitigation measures varied in each region because of the different characteristics of the volcanos and the territories.
However, he said, in general, the agency has planned evacuation routes, sites for refugees, logistics supplies, machinery and volunteer mapping.
“The plan is standardized, but we keep renewing it to adjust to current conditions. For Papandayan, we have a done dry-run three times so the people could get used to the measures,” he said.
On Friday, Lokon Mountain erupted, spewing volcanic ash up to 1,500 meters high, but it had calmed down by Saturday morning and people living near the mountain were not evacuated. In North Maluku, some 296 people remain in refugee shelters in Dufa-Dufa following Mount Gamalama’s last eruption in early December.?
