DDHK News, Indonesia - Heavy rain that flushed the Kelud area for almost 5 hours on Tuesday afternoon (18/2), resulting in cold lava floods passing through the Sambong River, Ngantang, Malang, East Java. As a result, residents in 13 villages located in Ngantang District, had to evacuate again.
Of the 13 villages, 5 villages experienced the worst impact due to the cold lava flood which occurred at 16.00 WIB. The villages include Pandasari, Sumberagung, Baturejo, Tulungrejo, and Waturejo.
Disaster Management Center (DMC) Team Dompet Dhuafa as many as 7 people, assisted by Kopasus and Koramil units, began moving to help evacuate residents who were still living in their respective homes. About 60 residents were successfully evacuated.
After the eruption and eruption of Mount Kelud that occurred on Thursday last week, some residents were still staying in the evacuation camps, but there were some residents who ventured back to their homes, due to getting tired of being in the evacuation and thinking about their belongings.
"There are so many refugees who are desperate to return home, to anticipate before the cold lava flood occurs, when it rains we start to fall into the villages and evacuate residents," explained Abdul Aziz, DMC Response Team, Dompet Dhuafa.
"Actually there has been no instruction from the local government to allow them to return to their respective homes, but because they think of their belongings such as livestock, vehicles, they are finally desperate to go home," he added.
Aziz said that the evacuation of residents was stopped at 7 pm because the bridge in Pandansari Village, which is the only access to the village, was cut off due to cold lava that passed through the Sambong River.
"There are still many residents who have not been evacuated, for security we tell them to stay in their homes first, because the rain has started to stop, and don't be desperate to go to the evacuation, because they have no access to it, it is very dangerous for them," he explained.
Currently around 2.300 people are still living in the evacuation posts Dompet Dhuafa located in Ngroto Village, Kujon District, Malang, East Java. A number of residents who were successfully evacuated were stationed at this post.
In the eruption of Mount Kelud which occurred almost a week, the DMC Team Dompet Dhuafa has provided several services for displaced residents, such as establishing soup kitchens, providing medical teams, and cheerful schools. However, assistance is still expected, especially the refugees, most of whom have children under five, are in dire need baby kits.
"Mothers who have toddlers really need it baby kits, I hope there is help for that, "he hoped. (Dompetdhuafa.org). *
