JAKARTA. Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University (UGM) will send more teams to provide psychological assistance to evacuees of Mount Sinabung, Karo regency, North Sumatra.

An initial team comprising 20 students and two lecturers from the university’s School of Psychology will undertake rapid assessment and real mapping at 42 evacuation posts.

The team was also tasked with coordinating with North Sumatra and Medan Area Universities’ psychological teams already deployed to Sinabung.

 “We will follow up their reports by sending psychologists to handle cases of psychological pressure and trauma experienced by the evacuees,” dean of UGM’s School of Psychology, Supra Wimbarti, said Wednesday.

According to their initial diagnosis, Supra said, most evacuees had experienced boredom due to being cooped up in evacuation centers as well as showing symptoms of stress as a result of losing family members, jobs and property.

Supra said compared to those evacuated from the shadow of Mount Merapi, another active volcano in Yogyakarta, in general Mt. Sinabung evacuees experienced more stress because this was the first time they had to deal with eruptions.

There have been instances could of suicide attempts among Sinabung evacuees, thus, to help those struggling with depression, UGM will start a farming program.

A preliminary report from UGM students conducting their compulsory Community Service Program (KKN) in Sinabung revealed that evacuees did not just come from the danger zones but also from other regions.

 “They fled because they panicked,” UGM field supervisor for KKN students, Langkah Sembiring, said, adding that at the Kabanjahe and Brastagi evacuation posts alone there were some 30,000 evacuees, including those from areas just touched by volcanic ash.

Separately in Karo, as of Wednesday the evacuation team was still unable to search for those left behind in Suka Meriah village because Sinabung eruptions continued. The nearest the team were able to set up was at a crossroad in Guru Kinayan subdistrict, some five kilometers from Sinabung.

Despite warnings to the contrary, some desperate locals returned to areas within a 5 km radius of the volcano.

 “I want to visit my field. I want to see if I can still harvest something. There is nothing to do at the evacuation post,” said Terkelin Sembiring of Suka Nalu village, which is located around four km from Sinabung.

At least 16 people have died, while another was severely injured in Suka Meriah district, which is around 3 km from the volcano, due to pyroclastic clouds on Saturday.

Before Saturday, the eruptions, which have been going on for five months, had already claimed the lives of 31 evacuees due to various illnesses such as depression, asthma and hypertension. (Slamet Susanto and Apriadi Gunawan)

Editor: Asnil Amri