Church response to the post-tsunami emergency starts from Serang (Photo)

by Mathias Hariyadi

Local Catholics and volunteers from the Archdiocese of Jakarta work in the parish of Christ the King. The volcano Anak Krakatau still shaking: alert level increased. The death toll has risen to 429. There are 154 missing while 16,082 people have been accommodated in temporary shelters.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Following a number of eruptions, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has raised the alert for Indonesian volcano Anak Krakatau to level 3 (the second highest). All air routes around the volcano have been diverted and the radius of the exclusion zone has increased from two to five kilometers. Five days ago, Anak Krakatau triggered a tsunami that struck the tourist resorts of Sunda Strait, between Java and Sumatra. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesperson for the BNDP, said the death toll has risen to 429. There are 154 missing while 16,082 people were welcomed in temporary shelters set up by the government. In the disaster 882 homes were destroyed, 73 recreational attractions and 60 businesses were damaged.

A camp kitchen and fundraiser for tsunami victims: from the parish of Christ the King, in the district of Serang (province of Banten), the humanitarian response of the Indonesian Church to the disaster in the districts of Pandeglang, Serang, South Lampung, Tanggamus and Pesawaran. Despite the remoteness, the epicenter of the emergency falls in the territory of the diocese of Bogor (province of West Java). The local bishop, Msgr. Paskalis Bruno Syukur, tells AsiaNews that "Catholic volunteers have set up a field kitchen for the preparation of soups". "In the parish of Christ the King - the bishop continues - health services will be provided, in addition to the supply of food and drink".

Christ the King in Serang and St. Mary in Rangkas are the only Catholic churches in the area. It takes about two hours to travel from Serang to reach Pandeglang and other areas hit by the tsunami. Sister Atanasia, Sfs, explains that various Catholic humanitarian organizations are taking part in the activities of the canteen and other health facilities set up in Serang. "Some volunteers - says the nun - are local people, while others come from Jakarta". People from the capital are part of Lembaga Daya Dharma Keuskupan Agung Jakarta (Ldd-Kaj), the humanitarian arm of the archdiocese, and of Perdhaki, its response unit to humanitarian emergencies. "The locals work at the Misi Lebak hospital", adds the nun.