Shelter, hygene kits part of initial response
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is delivering assistance to one of the areas closest to the site of the October 26 eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java, emergency officials in Indonesia reported last week.
ADRA's emergency response is centered on the village of Glagah Harjo, about five miles south of Mount Merapi. About 500 displaced families from four smaller villages are living in temporary shelters there, said Hector Carpintero, country director for ADRA Indonesia.
ADRA also delivered essential hygiene kits with the support of local volunteers, following coordination with local government officials and displaced families.
More than 150 people have died since Merapi began erupting last week, Agency France-Presse reported. Some 22,000 villagers are reported to be staying in 10 government-run shelters in three separate districts. Merapi's continued eruptions have caused mass evacuations and a temporary stoppage of air traffic.
Merapi has erupted numerous times in the last century, leading many locals to fear major additional eruptions, the Associated Press reported. The volcano has spewed ash since Friday, AP said.