Agency for Washington D.C. International 20523 Development

INDONESIA - Volcanic Eruption

Date: July - September 1983 (FY 83)

Location: Mt. Colo volcano on the island of Una Una, central Province

No. Dead: None reported

No. Affected: 7,100

Damage: All eight villages on Una Una were completely destroyed by fires and smoke; 90% of the island was covered with lava; and the island's 700,000 coconut trees and 5,000 goats and cattle were destroyed. The nearby island of Palu was covered with a layer of heavy volcanic ash. Total property damage was estimated at $25.5 million.

The Disaster on July 14, 1983, Mt. Colo, one of three craters on the volcanic island of Una Una in the Indonesian province of , erupted for the first time since 1889. The eruption continued sporadically, and often violently, through most of September and was accompanied by earth­ quakes of light to moderate intensity. The volcano spewed out towers of thick, black smoke which reached up to 15,000 meters above the crater and which were visible hundreds of kilometers away.

Una Una is a small island comprised of eight villages having a total of 7,100 inhabitants. Immediately following the initial eruptions, the entire population was evacuated by the Indonesian Navy.

By July 17, a total of 208 weak tremors had been recorded. A major earth­ quake, registering 5.5 on the Richter scale, occurred on July 17, causing fires and landslides throughout the island. Mt. Colo continued erupting through September 14, accompanied by thunderous explosions, thick smoke, hot steam with temperatures as high as 200° c, and widespread fires. By early August, all eight villages on Una Una had been destroyed along with the island's 700,000 coconut trees and 5,000 goats and cattle. Ninety percent of the island was covered with lava. Indonesian government officials decided to resettle the former residents of una una on nearby Batudaka and . The capital of the una una subdistrict was moved to Togian Island.

Volcanic ash was carried as far as 350 km by winds. Thick layers of ash fell on the provincial capital of Palu, 200 km southwest of Una Una. Rains turned the ash to mud, forcing the closing of the Palu airport on several occasions.

The Volcanological survey of Indonesia followed the events of the Mt. Colo eruption from nearby Wakai Island. Seismographs were placed on Una Una and had to be replaced several times due to damage by continuing fires . The Department of Communications Meteorological and Geophysical Agency concluded that the eruption of Mt. Colo was probably caused by intense seismic activity in the area, which began about the time of the first eruption.

Action Taken by the Government of Indonesia (GO!), Local Governments, and Private Organizations

Shortly after the first eruption on July 14, the GO! ordered the evacua­ tion of the 7,100 inhabitants of Una Una Island. Of these, 6,500 were evacuated by the Indonesian Navy to a center in Ampana on the Sulawesi mainland, while the other 600 traveled to Togian Island to live with friends and relatives. on August 3, the GOI convened a meeting of foreign .governments at UNDP headquarters in Jakarta. Although the GO! did not make a formal international appeal, it did indicate that any assistance from the international community would be welcome. UNDP was put in charge of coordination.

The GOI, through the Department of Social Assistance (DEPSOS), distributed food and relief supplies to evacuees at the Ampana Center. The evacuees · were housed in government and commercial buildings and in 150 tents which were shipped by DEPSOS from Mt. Galunggung in West Java. Also sent from Mt. Galunggung were walkie-talkie sets, megaphones, and spirometers. DEPSOS also provided $30,927 in cash, 125 tons of rice, 4,000 pieces of clothing, and seven crates of medicines. A mass feeding program under­ taken by the GOI at Ampana allocated 300 grams of rice per day to adults and 250 grams to children.

The health situation at the Ampana center proved to be a major problem, as 2,000 evacuees were reported to be ill, most with diarrhea and malaria. Local health authorities conducted a vaccination program and the GO! Department of Health dispatched a medical team of 20 doctors to Ampana. A total of 28 deaths at the evacuation center were attributed to diarrhea, malaria, and other diseases. • \> .. ;

Continued eruptions through July, which destroyed the entire island of Una Una, convinced GOI officials that the evacuees would not be able to return to their homes on the island. Plans were formulated by DEPSOS and the Department of Transmigration for the permanent resettlement of the evacuees on the islands of Batudaka (27 krn southeast of Una una) and Togian (30 km southeast). At the main resettlement site on , the GOI constructed barracks, which were ready for occupancy by September 1983. As part of the resettlement program, the GO! donated $10,000 to purchase fishing equipment for fishermen•s families.

A number of other GOI organizations and private groups provided assistance to the victims of the Mt. Colo eruption disaster:

North Sulawesi Province - gave $14,297 in cash and 15 tons of rice.

GOI Department of Transmigration - donated $10,309 in cash, 10 tons of rice, 5,000 packages of dried noodles, 21 cases of medicines, and 12 bales of clothing.

Members of Parliament - contributed $3,814 in cash.

BULOG (GOI State Procurement Agency) - provided $15,259 in cash.

Local Community in Palu - donated five tons of rice, 15,000 packages of dried noodles, canned goods, sugar, and used clothing.

Government Women•s Association Dharma Pertiwi - gave $1,525 in cash, four crates of medicines, nine bales of sarongs and towels, and 95 bales of clothing.

Assistance Provided by the United States Government (USG)

On August 9, 1983, the u.s. Ambassador to Indonesia, John H. Holdridge, determined that the Mt. Colo eruption disaster warranted USG assistance and exercised his disaster relief authority. The USG donated $25,000 which was used by the USAID Mission in Jakarta to purchase locally 7,000 blankets, 1,400 machetes, 1,400 hoes, and 1,400 kerosene lanterns ...... $25,000

The USG made available 8,573 kg of P.L. 480 non-fat dry milk, which was distributed by Church World Service at the Ampana Evacuation Center ...... $2 , 803

TOTAL $27,803 Assistance Provided by u.s. Voluntary Agencies

Church World service (CWS) - donated 30 bales of used clothing valued at $4,929. In a joint effort with the council of Churches and the Christian Church of Central sulawesi, cws distributed 8,573 kg of P.L. 480 nonfat dry milk to children under five and nursing mothers at the Ampana Evacuation center. DEPSOS arranged for the milk to be airlifted from Central Java to Ampana.

TOTAL $4,929

Assistance Provided by the International Community

International Organizations

United Nations Development Program (UNDP) - UNDP was designated by the GOI as the coordinator for all contributions by foreign governments, voluntary agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

UNICEF - contributed 100 tents, formerly used by victims of the Mt. Galunggung volcanic eruption disaster.

World Food Program - provided 770 tons of rice for nine months to the evacuees during the rehabilitation period.

Governments canada - contributed $40,650 to construct water supply systems at Togian and Batudaka Islands, where the una una evacuees were resettled.

Japan - donated $10,000 in cash.

Netherlands - provided $12,068 in cash for emergency assistance.

TOTAL $62,718 •