"The target is to visit the evacuation tents around the mountainside and we ask the public there to be careful," the SAR team Commander of the Mobile Brigade Unit of East Nusa Tenggara Police, second inspector Hermanus Pati Bean said in Wulanggitang, East Flores, on Sunday (07/01/2024).
The joint SAR team comprised of the Mobile Brigade, Maumere Search and Rescue Agency, the province's water and air police, the Indonesian Red Cross of Sikka Regency, and the Nusa Nipa University's nature admirers student club. The patrol reached three villages, namely Hokeng Jaya, Nawokote, and Hewa.
Along with the patrol, Bean's team also collected the data of the affected residents who had evacuated to the posts, as well as residents who had not evacuated yet, and ensured the evacuation location. With the collected data, the joint SAR team can make appropriate rescue and evacuation efforts if the eruption continues. In addition, the joint team has determined the escape or evacuation route in case eruptions occur.
"We collect the number of residents, including pregnant women, old people, and children who have not evacuated," he said.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Wulanggitang District has been in "Alert" or "Level III" status since Monday (01/01/2024) at 4 a.m. local time. As of Sunday, the volcano has kept erupting, forcing residents in several villages in Wulanggitang and Ile Bura to evacuate to posts that have been set by the local government. (Antara)
