Hailey Ward
11/5/10
2:45pm
Blog 10
A volcano erupted in Indonesia, killing at least sixty-four people. Mount Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It is located in a heavily populated area in Java. The latest eruption began late on Thursday and according to rescue workers it left villages in flames. Many of the dead a believed to be children from Argomulyo village, located around eleven miles from the crater. Fifty-four bodies have been brought in to the local hospital and more than sixty-six others were injured with severe burns. The hospital is overwhelmed with the amount of patients they are receiving. A volcanologist said that this was the largest eruption they had witnessed so far. The heat clouds went down the slopes about eight miles. The authorities have decided to widen the "danger zone" around the crater from 15 km (9 miles) to 20km (12 miles). A rescue official commented that some of the deaths could have been avoided if people stayed away from the danger zone. On a side note, Indonesia is also currently dealing with another natural disaster, a tsunami that hit the islands last week. It claimed over four hundred lives, and injured thousands.
Indonesia seems to be having a tough time. It seems like they are getting hit with one thing after another, making it almost impossible to recover. Natural disasters cannot be avoided; however there are preventable measures that could prevent people from dying. The volcano in known to be very active, this eruption was not a huge shock. The size of the explosion was more shocking than anything. I feel like the village needs to be moved. Steps need to be taken to ensure that no more lives are lost from a volcanic eruption. The village needs to be moved further away from the crater. Government officials need to take the proper steps in preventing this from occurring again.
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