BALI, Indonesia, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- Residents living close to Indonesia's Bali volcano have been going through unprecedented ordeals.
"We are now very confused why it can be like this. If it can, please erupt as soon as possible so as to make everyone here going back to normal life again," Nyoman Sudarsana, a local resident, said.
Nyoman referred to Mount Agung volcano, whose activities have yet to recede with the alert remaining the highest.
Nyoman and his family members of three generations live in a banjar building now used as a shelter for residents of three villages in Bali's Karangasem regency village of Culik.
Culik is located in Bali's eastern coastal region of Amed, around 12 kilometers from Mount Agung crater. The authorities have declared a dangerous zone within 10 kilometers from the crater.
Nyoman, father of four children, told Xinhua on Saturday that he only carried along some clothes, a stove and mats to sleep. "It's even harder for my children," the 35 year-old father said, adding the banjar is packed by at least 250 people.
Like many others in the shelter, Nyoman visited his farm land in the red zone area once in a while even though he realized that it's quite risky.
Most of the residents seeking refuge in the shelter have no idea on how dangerous the impact of the volcano eruption can be. Most of them are from generations born after the volcano made its most devastating eruption in 1963, which killed at least 1,500 people.
Referring to geographical condition in Amed, a resident told Xinhua that should the volcano erupt, emitting lava, Amed would be isolated from any direction as access to the region would be blocked by the flows of lava.
He said it would make people in the region hardly able to evacuate. "The only way out is through the sea," he said.
Realizing the ordeal faced by local residents, many volunteers have come to Amed and offer their assistance to ease residents' suffering.
Among those volunteers is Michele Yoga from Australia.
"I know the government is doing the best they can, but this is such a huge, huge crisis, everybody needs to help," the 51-year old volunteer told Xinhua in a Culik shelter.
Together with her colleagues and other local volunteers, she set up a volunteer group to supply necessities local residents need the most in the shelters.
