November 2010, every inch of Yogyakarta was
covered by ash. Mount Merapi whose
seismic activity had been increased from mid-September started to spew hot
gases and ashes, killing more than 100 people in numerous villages. An
estimated 75.000 residents were evacuated from the affected area.
“I
saw the roads and houses roofs were fully covered with ashes for nearly two
months. Some people said that there were hot gases too. However, since I lived
fairly far from Merapi, the hot gases did not affect me”, said Desy, an English
Literature student of UGM who was only enjoying her first semester when the havoc
happened. She also said that pebbles rain hit her boarding house roofs on the
midnight several days before the eruption.
Merapi is one of the most active volcanos
in the world. It has its once-four-years cycle of eruption, and the one in 2010
was quite a powerful one. Tons of dirty ashes were spewed in the air, causing
acute respiratory infections and limiting visibility. People were suggested to wear
masks and even raincoats to avoid the dirt. Following this havoc, UGM announced
a two-week study-off for its students which eventually expanded to four weeks
due to the enormous impact.
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