National disaster # Merapi Eruption-hit area

Since its first eruption on October 25, Merapi have been claiming several hundreds of lives and crippled people's economy in hit areas. These are pictures one of hit areas, 20 days post big eruption on October 30, my mom took when she and several relatives visited Solo and Yogyakarta for charity mission. Unfotunately, I didn't go along :( Sometimes they still treat me like a baby girl  -__-". They didn't let me come.
November 18, My auntie on her facebook status: 6 km from Merapi summit.
I was like "Oo God!. Shiiitt...what the hell are they thinking. 6 km??!! Danger zone is 15 Km from the summit!. How come they reach that far?". When they arrived safely at home (thank God!), they said 15 km area from the summit were blocked and guarded.

Apparently their irrational curiousity had driven them to seek for an alternative one. And....Tada! here the pictures...I became regretful one realizing that I wasn't there to take these startling sceneries myself :(
Well, The eruption has triggered mass evacuation near Merapi. Here is one of the hit-areas, Kepuharjo village, about 10 Km from the summit. It was inhabited about 902 families before the big eruption. Imagine that It was the house over here...house over there...and cattles over here...cattles over there... trees over here... trees over there, most of the house, the cattles, and the tress then hit by hot gases which the locals called "wedhus gembel". Many of them are gone and several became ruins and burned.The land remains covered by thick volcano ash. Every scenery is grey. Remind me of 90's cellphone, monochromatic screen. And... Ya, God almighty.

Oow... check this one out. My uncle took it. A stunning Wind-whirl took place ...

Below are Dad with the background of drought trees and Mom, our amateur photographer ^^ among ruins, about 10 km from the summit. I barely believe she got enough guts to do it. She even freaking out to death when my brother for the first time drove their car out of town. Yo! You're rock mom!

It's kali Boyong, One of the streams passed through by Lava avalanches and volcanic materials

And Here The Refugee center they visited in Sariharjo village, about 24.64 Km from the summit. Most of refugees in this center came from Kaliadem village, which was one of the big dairy milk centra. For your information, most of them are wealth people. sadly, they lost their properties, including their precious dairy cows. Some of the cows were perished, some strived to live, and Ironically some were sold with very low prices. That before the government issued a policy to buy the cows. The common property remain are only their cars and motorcycles they drove to flee. Many of the refugees suffered from trauma to settle down back in Merapi area and also lost their homes.

As a result of the eruption, at least 259 people death and many others sustained burns and became displaced. The total number of refugees being sheltered in 639 refugee centers in Yogyakarta and Central Java reportedly reached 367,548 people.
May God bestow on us. Pray for better Indonesia


Refferences :
Mom & Dad
Private collection pictures
http://english.kompas.com/read/2010/11/19/08190489/Disastrous.Economic.Losses.Erupted.by.Merapi
http://merapi.combine.or.id/posko/635/