Ternate’s Administration has re-evacuated 755 residents or 209 families in Togafo Subdistrict in Ternate pulau District, as Mount Gamalama continues to exhibit signs of increased activities.
Thamrin Marsaoly, a member of Mount Gamalama Disaster Mitigation Unit, said that the evacuation is necessitated by the fact that Togafo Subdistrict lies in the path of the volcano’s lava flow, and is done to prevent any deaths stemming from the increased volcanic activity.
“The evacuation process is still on going, and all residents in Togafo have been evacuated to a safer location – including women, children, and the elderly. A team has been put on standby at the evacuation site to deal with any contingencies,” said Thamrin on Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
Residents are evacuated aboard 17 trucks, and scores of volunteers have been deployed to assist with the evacuation process. Ternate’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) as well as members of the National Police (POLRI) and the Indonesian Army (TNI) have also been deployed to assist local leaders from Togafo to evacuate the residents.
“Residents have been placed at two temporary shelters in North Ternate,” said Thamrin.
The Head of Public Relations for Ternate City Administration, Sutopo Abdullah, said that this is the second evacuation since the volcano began to exhibit signs of increased activity – the first having been carried out on Sunday, July 18, 2015.
On Thursday, July 16, 2015, Mount Gamalama began spewing hot clouds of volcanic ash to a height of 1,000 metres, which blew towards the northwest. As a result, Ternate’s Sultan Babullah Airport had to be closed – stranding hundreds of passengers in the process.