One day after the first eruption of Mount Sinabung, World Vision Indonesia's assessment team has already moved to the most affected area in Tanah Karo District, North Sumatra, August 30, 2010.

Yacobus Runtuwene, the leader of assessment team reported the team has reached Namanteran, Simpang Empat, Payung, and Tiganderket, the most affected sub districts. The latest update from the field, there are 19 shelters open for the IDPs from 4 sub districts. A total of 28,711 people abandon their houses, after residents in a 6-kilometer radius of the volcano were instructed to leave their homes.  

It takes three hours from Medan to reach first shelter in Berastagi. There are around 2,350 peoples staying in the Jambur Taras IDP camp. "Most of the IDPs currently stay in traditional community centers which are without walls. Respiration problem is one major issue since the families sleep on the dirt floor and some evacuees were reported to be in poor health. Sanitation has become very critical need, since most of the evacuees have stayed for three night." said Yacobus. 

The most critical needs now are blankets, masks and sleeping mats. "The weather in slopes of Sinabung is very cold and the children are at a risk sleeping without sleeping mat," he added. The other needs are clothes, women sanitary napkins, pampers for baby and baby food.  

After no volcanic activity for more than four centuries, Mount Sinabung in Karo regency, North Sumatra, erupted early Sunday morning, leading to two deaths and displacing thousands living on its slopes. One of them died because of respiratory failure after thick smoke covered the village and the other because heart attacks. The mass exodus of residents has paralyzed the economy of the areas around the mountain slopes. 

World Vision will be monitoring the progress of the situation in order to decide whether emergency humanitarian actions are needed. They are also waiting for the assessment from the government if the mountain is safe enough so that the people could return to their villages.  

Indonesia has the highest density of volcanoes in the world. The 5,000-km-long archipelago nation is in the "Belt of Fire", with more than 400 volcanoes active and 68 listed as dangerous.