Thousands flee as Sumatra volcano erupts

Published: 6:36PM Sunday August 29, 2010

Source: Reuters

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Family covered in ash from the erupting Mount Sinabung volcano leave their village on motorcycles - Source: Reuters

Thousands of Indonesians were evacuated from the slopes of a volcano after it erupted for the first time in more than 400 years, spewing out lava and sending smoke and dust 1,500 metres into the air.

Mount Sinabung, in the north of the island of Sumatra, began erupting around midnight after rumbling for several days, prompting some villagers to panic before the mass evacuation got under way.

Indonesia is on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and geological fault lines triggering frequent earthquakes around the Pacific Basin. The eruption triggered the highest red volcano alert.

Two people died, one from breathing problems and the other from a heart attack, and two suffered injuries in road accidents as trucks, ambulances and buses were mobilised in the rescue operation.

"This is the first time since 1600 that Sinabung has erupted and we have little knowledge in terms on its eruptive patterns," said Surono, head of Indonesia's vulcanology centre.

Authorities took at least 12,000 people from high risk areas on the slopes of the 2,460-metre volcano to temporary shelters. Local TV showed showed women and children wearing face masks in cramped tents.

The area around the volcano is largely agricultural.

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"Since this is the first eruption we've had in Sinabung, we're anticipating residents to remain at the shelters for at least a week while waiting for further status alert," said Priyadi Kardono, a spokesman at the national disaster management agency.

Residents panicked when the volcano started erupting overnight and some of them who live in safer areas chose to take refugee at shelters, Kardono added.

The eruption has not damage roads or bridges. The nearest big city is Medan where there were no disruptions to flights.

Summary:

-Indonesia, Mt Sinabung, in the north of the island of Sumatra

-Thousands evacuated

-First time the volcano has erupted in 400 years

-At about midnight

-Exploding 1500 metres into the air

-Rumbling for several days before hand caused panic in many villagers

-Indonesia is on the "Ring of Fire" in the pacific.

-The eruption triggered the highest red volcano alert.

-2 deaths (breathing problems and a heart attack)

-2 injuries (road accidents)

-Trucks, ambulances and buses mobilised in the rescue operation

-Have little knowledge of its eruption patterns

-Authorities took at least 12,000 from high risk areas into cramped tents

-Evacuees are expected to stay in the shelters for at least a week until further notice

-No damage to roads or bridges and no disruption of flights

-cReAtiVe wRitTinG- (edits)

-add more detail and description

-develop characters

-with description think about senses eg; touch, smell, sight, sound etc.

-stronger story-line perhaps

-go into more depth of situation, surroundings and event

-more emotional connection with characters

"The Village By The Sea" -ANITA DESAI : Diwali

Towards the end of the novel Anita Desai uses the Indian celebration of Diwali to convey many ideas and themes to the reader such as health and well-being, new beginnings and hope. We are shown these ideas through events in the story.

When Hari leaves, we are unsure of when he is to return and this causes much angst for his family, especially Lila. "She thought of Hari with such longing that tears stung her eyes" as Lila needed her brother home because "ever since Hari left, everything had become uncertain". But she soon comes to a descision that "perhaps he will come back at Diwali." This brings a light of hope for her and the sisters as they now have Diwali to wait for in anticipation, for Hari to come home from Bombay. The plot reveals that their mother has been cured and is well on the mend when Hari comes to collect her. This is just in time for the festival of Diwali signifying well-being and good health. As all these events fall into place and everything good is happening we notice a restoration of their lives to what it should be and how they want to be living their lives. Desai uses Diwali as a celebration for the family as well as the sacred celebration undertaken by all Indians. For the family it seems to mean something more than just a cultural thing, it is about them surviving the dark times and making it into the hopefulness of their future that now show great promise and success.

"The Village By The Sea" pages 152-164

In these pages some ideas and themes are formed:

-a sense of hope is created for Lila and her family
-kindness of the de Silvas even though they are rich and have the choice to ignore just another poor suffering family.
-no matter what Lila has gone through so much poverty and suffuring that nothing can shake her everlasting anxiety and worries from her mind.
-it is the turning point of the plot as they are given a reason to live and a reason to carry on trying with just a little bit of help.
-although the de Silvas are being so generous and kind, their way of showing that they are of higher status remains whether it is intentional or not. They still speak to them as their lower class.
-earlier we see Lila as a strong independent girl who comes across as a motherly figure, but we see in these pages her true child self as she admits to not knowing what to do. We are shown for the first time, Lila as a weak, innocent child who doesn't know how to handle the situation.


In these pages much fortune fortakes Lila and her family

-their mother is taken to hospital with it all paid for while they still are able to earn money
-it leads to their previously drunken father taking care for their mother and being off the "toddy" forever.
-it allows them hope for their future rather than just dispair and knowing that only bad thigs can happen.
-gives them a job to be paid for for a long time even once they have gone