Believe the Bethara Loves Us

Kompas/Bahana Patria Gupta

Mount Agung eruption evacuees at the Swecapura gymnasium, Klungkung regency, on Wednesday (29/11). The eruptions have continued with ash clouds up to 3,000 meters from the top of the mountain.

Evacuate again. Yes, thousands of people around Mount Agung, in Karangasem regency, Bali, must leave their homes and property again and head toward an evacuation center. An Awas (alert level 4) status was once again declared on November 27 after it had been lowered on October 29 to Siaga (alert level 3).

Bethara of Mount Agung has really erupted and the people have learned about the signs of nature that they cannot resist. They have evacuated independently in the full realization of the danger.

Wayan Ngalih, 37, is one of the 39 people from Banjar Pengalusan, Karangasem regency who feels relieved. They evacuated by themselves, going to the pavilion of the Perbekel Julah village office, Tejakula district, Buleleng regency, hopping on pick-up trucks, as well as other private vehicles.

He, along with his family, no longer bothered about his cattle and possessions at home. Their safety and the family being together, for Ngalih, is the main thing at this moment.

“Last September, my family and I evacuated. We felt panic and confusion. But I didn’t like it in the evacuation center because the eruption did not happen and it became uncertain. Now I believe Mt. Agung has erupted, there is ash and tall smoke. So, me and my family realized that we really had to evacuate now and didn’t need to ask anymore,” said Ngalih smiling.

What Ngalih fears now is that a huge eruption by Mt. Agung might destroy the village where his home is. He imagines how wrecked his house would be if it was swept by the volcanic material from the mountain.

While his fingers make woven bamboo crafts, Ngalih thinks that he and his relatives may have to stay in the evacuation camp. God knows until when…

The feeling of lethargy in the evacuation of the Awas status in September was also experienced by Nengah Sukerti, 45, and Nengah Wijaya, 50, from Banjar Bonyoh village, Kubu district, within a radius of 6 kilometers from the crater of the mountain. At the time, neither of them really evacuated because from the morning until the afternoon, Sukerti and Wija went back to their village to farm. At night, they would return to the evacuation camp. When the status was lowered to Siaga, they packed up and rushed home.

“However, after the short time of only two weeks of feeling the comfort of sleeping in our own house, now we have to evacuate again. Well, it’s okay. Now we are more aware and know that we do have to evacuate. And all this is for our safety,” Sukerti said.

Sukerti said that initially on September 22 she refused to be evacuated because she felt Mt. Agung was fine. However, after seeing the huge puffs of smoke, Sukerti and Wija became concerned and eventually evacuated voluntarily.

Weaving

To kill the boredom and anxiety, the women that have evacuated fill their time by making woven bamboo crafts. The bamboo pieces are woven to be made into a rice steamer or a canang, a flower container made of coconut leaves used for ritual offerings.

The woven products, which are priced at Rp 2,000 each, help to enhance the people’s life at the evacuation camp. This is understandable given that aid in the form of food has not come as frequently as it did in September.

“For the woven bamboo, the capital spent on buying whole bamboo that has not been cut, is Rp 7,000. We make a profit of Rp 200,000. The profits are divided evenly by all the people that took part in the weaving. Then, some of the money is collected to buy gas,” Ngalih explained, while occasionally laughing and joking around with the other mothers.

A similar sight was seen in the evacuation center in Sidemen village. Women were weaving while the men were cutting bamboo into thin pieces to be used as the material for weaving. It wasn’t so bad, said Desak Ayu Budiarti, 26. The weaving that the women usually do at home can now be done together while sharing jokes.

They are all relaxed because the evacuation posts, for the most part, are no longer tents. This is by the agreement of 28 village heads collectively in the Mt. Agung Pesemetonan Jagabaya who decided to avoid the use of tents.

Evacuation posts must be inside buildings or rooms, whether they be public halls or gymnasiums. They are more orderly and do not cause panic.

When it comes to food aid, the situation is markedly different to the smooth flow of aid during the first Awas status evacuation. Ngalih, who has been appointed logistics coordinator, is tasked with getting a week’s worth of food supplies. This includes 25 kilograms of rice, 15 boxes of instant noodles and 21 liters of cooking oil. The money made from the weaving is used to fulfill personal needs.

An expression of great relief was also evident in the face of Wayan Dama, 64, from Bebandem, Karangasem regency, in the evacuation center in Kompyang Sujana gymnasium, Denpasar, who is there with dozens of his neighbors. Dama and his neighbors are evacuees that have had to stay in evacuation shelters since the first Awas alert status. Their houses are in the disaster-prone area within a radius of 6 kilometers from the Mt. Agung crater.

I Wayan Suparni, 36, from Peringsari village, Selat district, is also looking more relaxed. She is one of the independent evacuees that agreed to immediately leave their houses if the bamboo gongs were sounded.

“The bamboo gongs were sounded on Sunday night before Mt. Agung’s status became Awas. We eventually gathered on Monday morning and evacuated together,” he said.

Every family managed to get through the evacuation on their own. Once they arrive and gather at the evacuation post, all the evacuees work together to make the temporary shelter a comfortable place.

The first Awas status taught them to understand that danger can strike at any time. Moreover, they are also more aware that they are living around a volcanic disaster area.

Ngalih, Sukerti, Wija, Dama and all the evacuees certainly miss home. Only acceptance and obedience can ease that longing until the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) declares that the activity of Mt. Agung is stable and the evacuees can return home.