Thousands Flee Slopes of Indonesia Volcano - Mount Merapi

AP on Yahoo ^ | 5/13/06 | Chris Brummitt - ap

[NormsRevenge]

Lava flows from Indonesia's Merapi volcano Saturday May 13, 2006 as seen from Bebung village about 20 km (12 miles) outside Yogyakarta, the provincial capital of Central Java province Indonesia. Officials raised the alert status of the Merapi volcano to the highest level, meaning that an eruption is imminent, and thousands began evacuating from its slopes. (AP Photo/Ed Wray)

Indonesia's Merapi volcano throws up lava and hot gasses Saturday May 13, 2006, as seen from Bebung village about 20 km (12 miles) outside Yogyakarta, the provincial capital of Central Java province, Indonesia. Thousands fled the slopes of Indonesia's most dangerous volcano Saturday as it spewed burning ash, rock and molten lava, signaling a major eruption is imminent. (AP Photo/Ed Wray)

[NormsRevenge]

Villagers watch hot lava flowing from the Mount Merapi volcano close to Bebeng village near the city of Yogyakarta in central Java, Indonesia May 13, 2006. Indonesia raised the alert status of the Mount Merapi volcano to the highest level on Saturday, prompting a compulsory evacuation of thousands of residents living on the slopes, officials said. REUTERS/Andry Prasetyo

[Paladin2]

Kool Photos. THNX.

[coconutt2000]

Send them New Orleans Mayor Nagin to manage the evacuation... Please...

He still thinks the reason he failed to evacuate the city is someone else's fault, and he needs another chance to prove he can do it better. (fat chance)

[NormsRevenge]

Lava is spilling from Mount Merapi in this photo taken from Bebeng villages in Yogyakarta, central java, Indonesia, Saturday, May 13 2006. Indonesia on Saturday raised the alert at the Merapi volcano to the highest level, meaning an eruption may be imminent, an official said. (AP Photo/ Purwowiyoto)

[RightWhale]

Could this thing go off like Krakatoa or is more likely to just ooze noxious substances?

[Quick Shot]

"Villages on Mount Merapi were left virtually empty. Women, children and the elderly filled buses and trucks to be driven to shelters set up at government buildings and schools in nearby towns on the island of Java."

They could do it on their own in Indonesia, but New Orleans could not figure it out.

[NormsRevenge]

Ya never know, it has done some impressive eruptions previously and has been fairly active but not quite a krakatoa is likely here, I could be wrong tho. :)

[NormsRevenge]

She's probably seen more than her share of previous Merapi mayhem the volcano has delivered to those nearest it.

An elderly resident of the slopes of Mount Merapi is given a health check at a refugee camp in Sleman. The alert status of Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano has been upgraded to its highest level, an official said, meaning some 34,000 people living in its danger zone face mandatory evacuation.(AFP/File/Bay Ismoyo)

[sit-rep]

BTTT!!

[RightWhale]

Most likely a Pinatubo scale eruption is all we should expect, at most. Pinatubo brought Alaska a nine-month winter and record snowfall, perhaps some global cooling for a couple of years.

[nmh]

Nice photos.

"Edi, a 30-year-old villager, said he would stay unless he received a clear signal from the mountain's spirits that an eruption was at hand. "

You'd think that hot lava coming would be adequate to evacuate ... .

[Strategerist]

Most likely a Pinatubo scale eruption is all we should expect, at most.

It's exceedingly unlikely to even remotely approach Pinatubo, or even Mt. St. Helens...Merapi erupts a lot, in fairly small eruptions; the only reason it's so dangerous is the immediate vicinity is so densely populatated.

I wouldn't expect the slightest global climate effects at all.

[NormsRevenge]

You see the Ecuador volcano acting up? Tungurahua

Ecuador Volcano Shows Signs of Activity

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1631831/posts

[NormsRevenge]

Tungurahua, Ecuador
Location: 1.467 S, 78.44 W
Elevation: 16,475 ft. (5023 m)

Tungurahua is an active stratovolcano also known as the "The Black Giant." It has a 600 ft. (183 m) wide crater. Most of the volcano is covered by snow. Its causes many tremors in the nearby city of Banos. Tungurahua's lava is mostly composed of basalts. Tungurahua has had at least seventeen eruptions in historical times, its most recent occurring in 1944 when it erupted explosively from its central crater. Located about 25 miles (~40 km) west of Tungurahua is the largest volcano in Equador, Chimborazo and to the north about 50 miles(~80 km ) is Cotopaxi volcano.

[Trajan88]

Ah... I'd get out of there... I realize some folks are staying to protect villages from possible looters, but if that thing blows up, there's not going to be any more villages... just more, new real estate.

[libstripper]

If they're that close, they could be killed by a pyroclastic flow.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Thanks Norm.

[Atlantic Bridge]

It's exceedingly unlikely to even remotely approach Pinatubo, or even Mt. St. Helens...Merapi erupts a lot, in fairly small eruptions; the only reason it's so dangerous is the immediate vicinity is so densely populatated. I wouldn't expect the slightest global climate effects at all.

Yep! This is the point. There are simply too many people in the danger zone of this volcano. It doesn't matter that its eruptions are more moderate than Pinatubo, Krakatau or Tambora for those who live on the slopes of Merapi. The "moderate" powers of nature are still dangerous enough to kill them all.