Dear Friends,

This newsletter covers the 2 months of December 2010 and January 2011. We are still concentrating on helping the people who lost their homes and livelihoods during the eruption of Merapi volcano near Jogjakarta in November 2010, the largest eruption in living memory. During the eruption the Government set a 20 km danger zone around the volcano, because of the danger of hot gas clouds which travel down the slopes of the mountain destroying everything in their path.

Hot Gas and Sand Clouds.

During November 2010 a vast area to the south of the volcano was laid waste by these hot clouds, up to about 8 km from the summit. Many villages were completely destroyed. This area used to be very green, full of trees and bamboo. Now there are no trees, just dead wood and sand.

The following two pictures were taken at the same spot before and after the eruption. They give an illustration of the destructive force of the superheated gas and sand clouds.

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Dear Friends,

As you know, Merapi volcano erupted last month, the largest eruption in living memory, and the most destructive since 1830.

The first signs of activity started in mid October, and on 26 October a huge cloud of super hot ash and poisonous gas suddenly destroyed the village of Kinahrejo, killing Mbah Marijan, the traditional “gatekeeper” of the mountain together with 16 other people in his house.

Since then even bigger explosive eruptions have completely destroyed several villages on the slopes of the mountain, and the latest data from BNPB (21/11) shows that 304 people have died.

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