Merapi - Ashes Over Sepi

Another village, 3 km from the top of Merapi....
Another place where hope is just an old souvenir...
Ashes covered the field and killed all culture...
Another place where people wait a miracle to save them from a dark future...

"Danger Zone - Do not enter."

Houses covered by ashes

The chief explaining the critical situation of his village

A young villager with her baby

Population trying to free the village from ashes

All the fields are like this

Women bringing back some grasses to feed the animals

Solidaritas Bumirejo dan Gadung

Suite à mon appel du 26 Novembre 2010, Claude Grandpey, Vice-President of L'Association Volcanologique Européenne (L.A.V.E.), contacta le lieutenant-colonel Philippe BESSON, officier de sapeurs-pompiers professionnels et fondateur d'une équipe de secours internationale qui se nomme « POMPIERS DE L'URGENCE INTERNATIONALE » qui répondit positivement.
Inutile de vous dire la joie des villageois de savoir qu'ils pouvez recommencer à espérer.

Il fut donc organisé une réunion pour établir dans le détail une liste des besoins de la population de ces deux villages. Au total, c'est environ 700 personnes dont 50 enfants, qui vont être secourus.

Le principal problème de ces deux villages, comme beaucoup d'autres, est que la cendre qui a recouvert la région, a détruit les récoltes de « snake fruit », principale source de revenu de ces agriculteurs très modestes.

Et il faudra environ 1 an pour que la terre redevienne productive. Autant dire que l'inquiétude est grande pour l'avenir.
Le gouvernement indonésien s'est engagé a dédommager ces agriculteurs pour la perte de leur exploitation. Mais l'Indonésie fait face à deux désastres majeurs, survenus en même temps : l'éruption de plusieurs volcans, dont le Volcan Merapi a fait le plus de dégâts, et le tsunami qui a ravagé les iles mitoyennes de Sumatra.

Le contexte géographique de l'Indonésie complique énormément la tâche des secours. L'acheminement des aides financières se heurte à l'amplitude territoriale, et la complexité de la situation. De nombreux villages ont du être relocalisé. Une économie locale qui soudain s'effondre. Des décisions politiques, comme : « doit-on laisser ces fermiers vivre si près du « montre » ? » durent à prendre.
Le gouvernement est face à une crise économico-sociale majeure.

Alors peu importe qui aide, toutes les aides possibles, petites ou grandes, individuelles ou collectives, sont plus que bienvenues…

Les règlements de comptes se feront plus tard…


Following my call of the 26th November 2010, Claude Grandpey, Vice-President of European Volcanological Association (LAVA), contacted Lt. Col. Philippe Besson, fire brigade officer and founder of a professional rescue team is international called " POMPIERS DE L'URGENCE INTERNATIONALE " who replied positively.
Needless to say, the joy of the villagers to know that they can start to hope again.

It was therefore organized a meeting to establish in detail a list of needs of the population in these two villages. In total, about 700 people including 50 children, will be rescued.

The main problem of these two villages, like many others, is that the ash that blanketed the region, destroyed snake fruit's crops, the main source of income of these very modest farmers.
And it will take about a year for the land become again productive. Needless to say that the concern is great for the future.
The Indonesian government has pledged to compensate these farmers for the loss of their harvest. But Indonesia faces two major disasters occurring simultaneously: the eruption of several volcanoes, Merapi Volcano made the most damage, and a tsunami that devastated the islands close to Sumatra.
The geographical context of Indonesia greatly complicates the task of relief. The delivery of financial aid is hampered by territorial magnitude and the complexity of the situation. Many villages had to be relocated. A local economy that suddenly collapses. Political decisions, such as: "should we let these farmers live so close to the "monster"?" hard to take.
The Government is facing a major social and economic crisis.
So no matter who aids, all possible help, small or large, individual or collective, are more than welcome ...

The "explanations" will come later ...

The meeting with the villagers

 

The wasted field of snake fruit

We, People of Sleman...

Letter to Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
President of the Republic of Indonesia



Bapak Presiden yang terhormat,

Kami tahu Bapak Presiden merasa khawatir atas bencana yang terjadi akhir akhir ini.
Dan itu benar.
Lihatlah Kami.
Keadaan kami di Sleman semakin lama semakin berat.
Kami hampir kehabisan bahan makanan dan air.
Paling lama, kami bisa bertahan hanya 15 hari.


Kami telah mencoba sekeras mungkin untuk mengorganisir sumberdaya yang ada, namun tanpa pertolongan tambahan kami tak akan bisa bertahan.


Bapak, Kami adalah anak-anakmu yang butuh belaian dengan sepuluh jarimu.
Bantulah Kami, jangan biarkan kami sendiri menghadapi penderitaan ini.

Hormat kami,
Anak-anak Bapak, Warga Sleman.






___________________________________________________________________________






Mister President.


We all know your great concern about the recent disasters that affect our country.
We are from Sleman area, and our situation is becoming increasingly critical.
We're almost out of food or water. At best, we have enough for 15 days.
We try as we can to organized ourselves, but without help, we feel desperate.
We beg you your help, as children ask for their father’s protection.

The help from the administration seems very slow, and we fear for our children.

Please, Mister President, come by yourself, and see our misery, our distress.
We all probably have made mistake with Merapi’s danger, but we do our best, we try.

Please, Mister President, don’t let us alone in this hard time of suffering.

Respectfully.

Your people, from Sleman area.




PLEASE, SIGN THE PETITION HERE: Solidaritas Merapi Sleman

HELP

Bonjour. Je m'appelle Jean François Castan. Je vis en Indonésie depuis plus d'un an, au pied du volcan Merapi. J'ai vécu l'éruption, et maintenant, je vois la détresse des gens de la région. Je cherche par tout les moyens à attirer l'attention pour obtenir de l'aide. La situation de nombreux villages touchés par l'éruption devient critique. L'aide promise par le gouvernement indonésien n'arrive pas. arrivera t-il un jour ? Certain attende encore l'aide promise en 2002. Mais la réalité est que certain villages sont bientôt à cour de nourritures, d'eau. Ils sont désespérés. La plupart vivent de la culture du "snake fruit". Mais les champs sont ravagés, et le commerce pratiquement au point mort.

 Comment les aider ?

Ils se tournent vers moi, car je suis un occidental (Français), mais moi tout seul, que puis-je faire.

 Avez vous des suggestions ? Quelques choses que je puisse leur dire, qui puisse les aider ?
 S'il vous plait, aidez moi à aider ces gens.
 Jean François Castan. Commune de Turi- Sleman "

Hello. My name is Jean Francois Castan. I live in Indonesia for more than a year, at the foot of the volcano Merapi. I experienced the eruption, and now I see the plight of people in the region. I seek by all means to attract attention for help. The situation in many villages affected by the eruption becomes critical. The aid promised by the Indonesian government doesn't come. Will it come one day? Some still await the promised aid in 2002. But the reality is that some villages were soon out of food, water. They are desperate. Most live from the culture of the "snake fruit". But the fields are ravaged, and trade virtually at a standstill.

 How can we help?

They look to me because I am a Western (French), but I alone, what can I do.



 Have you any suggestions? Some things I can say that can help?

 Please help me to help those people.

 Jean Francois Castan -Turi Sleman "

Ngepringan, the valley of death

This is what happened the same night, 4th-5th, in Ngepringan, a village visited by the lava of Merapi...
 10 days after, the ground is still hot, some place still burning. The smell of wood ashes and sulfur still very strong.

In the background, we can see Merapi.

 There was a river here, 20 meters lower...

Entering Ngepringan

This villager try to save few things from his distroyed house.

This poor woman lost all her family that night...

Merapi - Apocalypse in Turi - Nov 4Th-5Th

The night of the 4th-5th have been a real nightmare. The whole day before too. One of those day you think God had abandoned you, all dark and rainy.
So when the night came, the feeling was already heavy. And we started to hear Merapi rumbling, louder and louder, until we heard the sound of a huge explosion
Few minutes after, hundred of people were on the road to escape the greatest eruption ever recorded.
A rain of small stone started to fall on the refugees, hurting some...
The day after, Turi looked like a ghost town. It have been 10 days long. Without electricity, telephone or clean water... A real nightmare.

Merapi - Mud Flood

The same day, on the 4th of Novemer, after I left the refugee's camp, a hard rain started to fall, carrying all the ashes from the montain. And the small quiet rivers turned into furious torrents of mud, destroying evrything on their way.
I stopped by one of them.
The paddy fields were gone, the trees falling in the flood, the banks colapsing, and the villager were watching the disaster. What else to do ?

People watching the flood

 This farmer lost all his harvest of rice. and the field gonna be useless for a while.

 This other man sit in front of what was a fish pool. The fishes are gone, dead, nothing left.

A bit farer, a policeman watch the traffic on a bridge that the flood damaged, a crack appeared in the middle.

Mount Merapi – Nov 2010 - Refugees

On November 4, I went to a refugees camp in the montain. The day after, the biggest eruption forced everybody to leave in the middle of the night. The camp was just at the limit of the first security zone of 10 km. Too close, for my opinion. This zone have been extended to 20 Km the day after.
A lot of questions have to be asked...

Note: I didn't take too much pictures of the refugees themself, thinking that they have enough stress already...