Agung is erupting - Now what?


- Dr. Janine Krippner

I am NOT giving my own interpretations of the data and what the data means. I am NOT, and CANNOT tell people what this volcano might or might not do. Please always refer to all official source links below. The utmost respect must be given to the local authorities monitoring Agung, they have a large amount of data from different sensors to monitor Agung.

I am not in Bali, nor am I an authority on Agung Volcano. I have not worked on Agung volcano, or any Indonesian volcano for that matter. Always look to the official sources for information, or to verify any information.


I am writing this for those of you in Bali, and those of you helping to spread the right information.

This is meant to act as a guide and it does not include everything, but it is a place for you to start. Sitting here as I write this, I still have no idea what this volcano will do. No one can tell what it will do in the future, only those who are monitoring the situation can give scenarios.

So what do you do? This will depend on where you are. Do you have ashfall? Remember that this is dependent on the amount of ash and wind direction, this can change. ALWAYS stay out of the exclusion zones. Please review the official information and do what you feel is safe for you with that in mind.


The Agung Alert Level is now AWAS, level IV. This is the highest Alert Level. VONA is RED.
The evacuation zone has increased. Please refer to official information sources.

Please follow @Sutopo_BNPB @BNPB_Indonesia @id_magma on Twitter for updates.


There is a more extensive post with resources here.


****Volcanoes do not produce smoke. Agung is not emitting smoke. It is volcanic ash. Volcanic ash has specific hazards, please use the correct terminology.****

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First and foremost, listen to the authorities. They are working to keep you all safe.

Keep an eye out for the official MAGMA Indonesia updates here. There is also a MAGMA Indonesia App for Android.

Updates are also been given by officials HERE and HERE.

Be wary of rumors and scaremongering. Always check your information. 


The emergency radio station given by BNPB is: 146.800 MHz.

There is also a WhatsApp network, I will add details when I have them.
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If you are in the exclusion zone, get out. You can check your location here. (This does not work well in the Chrome browser).


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ASHFALL

Guides for what to do in ashfall are here: GUIDELINES ON PREPAREDNESS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AN ASHFALL 


 More information on volcanic ash is provided by USGS:
  • Buildings (roof loading, gutters & drains, air conditioning, computers/electronics, cleaning up, case studies)
  • Transportation (Aviation, roads & highways, vehicles, railways, marine transportation, case studies)
  • Power supply (Power generation, insulator flashover, substations & switchyards, transmission & distribution, Lightning, response plan for system operators, historical examples, removal from insulators, case studies)
  • What can I do? (Households, businesses, communities, citizen science)
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 Travelers

Many people have plans to travel to Bali, so what do you do if you are one of them? This is not an exhaustive list - this is just a place to start. I cannot give travel advice. That is not my place.

- Firstly, follow the advice being given by officials, listed above.

- Check your travel insurance. Does it cover canceled flights or health issues if you end up in a bad situation?

- Check your country's official government travel advice, this should be on a Government or Embassy site. Many have a website dedicated to this and have addressed this situation. Some sites for: USA, New Zealand, Australia, UK, Singapore.

- Check with your airline.

- Take items to prepare for ashfall: recommended face masks, eye goggles to keep any ash out of your eyes if ash is falling or being kicked up by wind, long sleeves to reduce irritation on your skin.

- Print out the GUIDELINES ON PREPAREDNESS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER AN ASHFALL and take it with you. 

 
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Lava flows
The 1963 eruption produced a 7.5 km-long lava flow before the two explosive eruption phases. If this occurs again, here is a bit about lava flows.






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Lahars/Debris flows

Lahars/debris flows (volcanic mudflows) move rapidly down channels around a volcano and on Indonesian volcanoes these are more likely after rainfall. The lahar hazard zones are the pink and yellow areas in the hazard map given further up the page. Stay out of the exclusion zone

USGS Lahar information

VOLFILM Lahars: the impact (English) from VolFilm on Vimeo.


VOLFILM Lahar Hazard (English) from VolFilm on Vimeo.

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Pyroclastic Flows

Pyroclastic flows are very hot and very rapid avalanches of rock, ash, and gas. These can move very quickly down the volcano and you cannot outrun them. The areas at risk of pyroclastic flows are those in pink on the hazard map shown further up this page.


VOLFILM Pyroclastic Flow Hazard (English) from VolFilm on Vimeo.


VOLFILM Pyroclastic Flow Impacts (English) from VolFilm on Vimeo.

I ask again, please always refer to the official information sources. They are working around the clock to keep everyone safe.

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