All language subtitles for Volcanic.Odysseys.Series.2.5of5.In.the.Path.of.a.Volcano.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

NARRATOR:
Two volcanoes threaten lives
half a world apart.

In Hawaii, lava
creeps towards a town.

It is a potential disaster
in slow motion.

PHIL:
So people had maybe
a one or two-week warning

that lava might come through
this neighborhood

within that time.

NARRATOR:
In Sumatra, a volcano awakens
after a 500-year slumber.

[Explosion]

Its terrifying eruptions
send people fleeing

as deadly pyroclastic flows
destroy villages.

Nature's raw power is our
planet's most spectacular show.

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NARRATOR:
For people who live on
active volcanoes,

life has an element of
impermanence to it.

There is always the fear
that one day their home

will be in the path
of an eruption.

For the residents of
the town of Pahoa,

on the Big Island of Hawaii,
that time is now.

The island is built
of five volcanoes.

Three of them have erupted
in historic times.

And one is
currently erupting.

Its name is Kilauea.

Kilauea is a
shield volcano.

That means it's built of layers
of fluid, flowing lava.

Its current eruptive phase
started in 1983.

Most of the time,
lava from Kilauea follows

a well-worn path
out to the sea,

where it builds more land,
enlarging the island.

But every so often lava
threatens the human population.

In 1990, Kilauea wiped out
the town of Kalapana.

Since then it has taken down
a few houses here and there,

but it hasn't threatened
any major towns or villages...

until now.

Pahoa is located in the
opposite direction

of Kilauea's regular
flow path.

But the unpredictable
has happened:

a slow-moving lava flow
is heading straight for them.

The town is holding its breath
to see if it will stop,

or whether this is a slow-motion
disaster in the making.

PHIL:
This is the main road
into Pahoa right behind me,

and this low spot is where
we think the lava

is going to come across
the highway

within the next few weeks
or months.

NARRATOR:
Phil Ong is a volcanologist
and guide on the Big Island.

He's seen how lava flows
creep up on communities

all over the island.

PHIL:
You can see the natural
topography is important

to direct lava flow
in certain directions.

You can see when the flow
first comes down

it's going to be
fairly hot and fluid.

It will follow
the contours of the land

into the low spots below.

NARRATOR:
The lava moves slowly

and has a very distinct way
of building its own new mass.

PHIL:
It will first put out
a small finger,

freeze and form a shell,
pressurize the inside,

and burst out in small lobes
in either direction,

slowly filling in
a whole area.

NARRATOR:
The fact that the town
of Pahoa is in danger

is a surprise
to the residents.

The lava is coming from
Kilauea's active vent

called Pu'u 'O'o,
which is far away.

Traditionally the flows
would freeze

long before they
reached the town.

But in this case the lava
has changed course.

It has gone underground through
some large ground cracks.

This means it can travel farther
and retain its heat longer.

Now the flows have resurfaced
dangerously close to Pahoa.

Because it moves so slowly,
no one has to make a run for it.

It gives the residents time to
wait and see what happens.

The way the lava flows
from here is unpredictable.

For the residents
of the town,

not sure of the direction
of the flow

or how long it will last,

the unpredictability is both
the good news and the bad news.

PHIL:
It was a little bit
of a surprise

that the lava came
in this direction so quickly,

and it caught people
a little bit off guard

when it started moving away
from the crack

down toward this community.

So people had maybe
a one- or two-week warning

that lava might come through
this neighborhood

within that time.

Fortunately, since then
the lava has diverted

and gone around the homesteads
towards Pahoa.

The flow is moving
at its fastest

at about 300 meters per day,
and that would put it

about five days out
from this road at that rate.

But it's slowed down
since then

and so now we don't have a
projection of where it'll go

and how fast it'll go.

NARRATOR:
As the lava slowly
makes it way towards town,

Pahoa holds a
crisis meeting.

It's led by the The United
States Geological Survey

or the USGS.

This is the government body

tasked with monitoring
the volcano.

In this crisis, they are
working with the communities

to keep people
informed and safe.

STEVEN:
So this is a map
you're all familiar with.

The lava still has Pahoa
in its path.

The advance rates of the
lava flow continues to vary.

And as long as it continues
to vary from one day

to the next, or from
one week to the next,

any of the projections
we try to make

are going to be wrong.

NARRATOR:
With the flows now
just days away from town,

the meetings have become
more frequent.

BILLY:
So much of this
is beyond our control.

And it's important
for us as leaders

to ask for guidance,
to ask for kindness,

to ask for blessings.

NARRATOR:
The lava is now on
the outskirts of town

and heading directly towards
its first building,

the city's recycling
transfer station.

If the lava keeps going,
it will cut off Ap-ah Road,

and with it the electricity
supply to several communities.

This will serve as a test
for the government.

Just beyond at the main highway
lie the power lines

for the main town of Pahoa

and for the southern section
of the island.

These flows may go on
for years,

so solutions are
needed quickly.

Hydro poles are converted
to taller concrete ones,

and they are testing
to find out

if they can further
insulate their bases.

With the preparations done,
all anyone can do

is watch and wait as lava
approaches the transfer station.

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NARRATOR:
The first fingers of lava
reach the fence.

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NARRATOR:
The flow moves into
the parking lot,

but luckily stops just short
of the recycling depot.

The lava has gone
as far as it can.

It may seem like a win for
the town, and a close call.

But volcanoes work on cycles.

It is likely the flow will
resume once it regains pressure

from the summit, which
could take days or weeks.

The cooling lava flows
have drastically altered

the area around
Ap-Ah Road.

And if the lava
continues to advance,

Pahoa and the surrounding
landscape will be transformed.

To understand what that
could be like,

all the residents need to do is
look at the village of Kalapana.

PHIL:
This is the area that
has been rebuilt

on top of the 1990 lava flow
that first came through the area

to destroy the village
of Kalapana.

So you can see up
on the far horizon

the fumes from
Pu'u O'o crater.

That's where the flow started
and then moved down

the big hillside through
what used to be a town here,

before the one you see
behind me.

Created all this black rock.

After about 15 years,
lava started flowing

somewhere farther away
and people got confidence

and rebuilt
their houses here.

NARRATOR:
If the lava continues
to move through Pahoa,

the residents will have to
abandon their homes

and find another
place to live.

This is part of
the uncertainty

of living near
an active volcano.

It's a force that can't be
tamed or reasoned with.

And so the people
have to be prepared

to pick up their lives
and move.

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NARRATOR:
Because of the almost constant
volcanic activity of Kilauea,

90% of the surface area
is less than 1,200 years old.

And the activity has created
some other-worldly landscapes.

PHIL:
These fissure eruptions
create really unique landscapes.

This is a spatter rampart
from a fissure eruption.

You can see the lava shot
in the air and dropped down

while it was still liquid.

And you see it landed
and started oozing

and dripping down,
forming these lobes

and these needles
you can see coming down.

We actually have two
different structures here,

probably two
different trees.

The lava landed on top of them,
burned the canopy off,

and made a small bridge across
one of the branches, perhaps.

But you can also see that
we have plants growing back

already on top of
this very porous rock.

And these are areas that
Hawaiians will often refer to

as the centers of creation,
but also of destruction.

They go hand in hand.

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PHIL:
These are lava trees.

As the fissure erupted on that
side of the spatter rampart,

it sent a flash flood
of lava sweeping through

this small valley,
and all the trees

in this small valley
got buried

all the way to the top
of these tree casts,

these stone casts.

The trees would have been
taller than this,

but the top part would have
been exposed to the air

and burned away.

NARRATOR:
The living tree was burned up
within a coating of lava.

What's left creates
a biological record

of the vegetation in stone.

PHIL:
What we are actually looking at
is what we call a trace fossil.

It's not a fossil of the
actual living being itself,

in this case the tree, but
actually an imprint of it

showing was here
at some point in time,

even though the
original being has left.

NARRATOR:
Not much is known
about this eruption

other than it was brief,

possibly only lasting
a few days,

but producing a high volume
of lava.

PHIL:
What happened is that
the lava kept flowing

beyond here into a crater
adjoining us.

And that allowed the level
of the lava floor

to drop everywhere except
where it was pinned up

by these structures,
by these trees.

NARRATOR:
The lava flows at Pahoa
have stalled for a few days.

But that's about to change.

Back at the summit, the
volcano has already begun

to re-pressurize.

When that happens
the molten magma rises

from deep within the earth

and collects in the reservoir
underneath the volcano's summit.

As the reservoir fills up,

the pressure causes
the entire volcano

to inflate like a balloon.

Over the past centuries
these constant cycles

have pushed the whole
southern half of Kilauea

towards the ocean,
creating a split

right through the volcano
called a rift.

The rift runs
on an east-west axis.

Instead of overflowing
at the summit,

which requires a lot of pressure
to push the magma vertically,

the fluid lava takes
an easier route,

pushing through the weaknesses
in the rift zone.

Over the past 50 years there
have been several active craters

along Kilauea's
east rift zone.

Eruptive activity
in these craters

can last a few days
to decades.

The current eruption has
lasted more then 30 years.

That eruptive crater is
called Pu'u 'O'o.

PHIL:
This area has historically had
a lot of eruptions

with lava lakes present
many times

over the last hundred years.

And we've actually see
a return of lava

to this area in 2008.

Since then the crater
has grown and expanded.

It continues to
release gas every day,

and what's interesting is that
it's actually sustained

enough pressure
despite this opening

to continue pushing lava
to Pu'u O'o crater

on the rift zone.

NARRATOR:
When the pressure
builds within the summit,

the lava lake rises, producing
a strong glow at night.

This continues for several days
until the cycle begins again.

Pu'u 'O'o Crater is
off-limits to everyone

for several reasons.

The ground around
the crater is unstable,

and the vents release a lot
of hot and dangerous gases.

To get a good look at it,

Phil heads to the Napau campsite
that sits directly over

the rift zone and across
from Pu'u 'O'o.

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PHIL:
This is the Napau Crater.

It's the closest place
to safely view Pu'u O'o.

At the moment,
with the Kona winds today,

we're upwind of the fumes.

It's getting dark;
we should be able to see

a glow coming from the top of
the crater pretty soon.

As the clouds and fumes
blow overtop of it,

it'll reflect and hopefully
intensify the orange-ness of it.

NARRATOR:
The lava fills up the crater

making what's known
as a 'lava lake.'

That creates the main glow.

The lake feeds an underground
system of tubes

that carry the molten lava
to the flow front.

The glowing lava can be seen
through the openings

in the ground
called skylights.

While the crater is active,
it is impossible to see

how the lava is channelled
back under the ground.

Phil visits an inactive vent
from a previous eruption site

called Mauna Ulu,

which is similar to
the Pu'u 'O'o vent.

PHIL:
This is the summit crater
of Mauna Ulu lava shield.

It goes back down to to
where the ground was

before this eruption began.

And what we see
inside it are layers,

first of the cinders
that erupted

from the fountain of lava,
then layers of lava

that poured from the lava chute
over the top of the cinder cone

and formed this whale-backed
lava chute

we're standing on today.

You can see how steep the walls
are from the collapse,

and all the rubble at the
bottom of the crater.

NARRATOR:
This is the mouth
of an extinct lava tube.

Lava tubes are one of the
reasons that a shield volcano

resembles a large hill,
rather than a big cone.

The tubes are the main
arteries of a flow

that carries the molten material
far from the erupting vent.

This is in stark contrast
to the stratovolcano

where the lava
is more viscous,

and is often blown out of
the vent in violent explosions.

[Explosion]

PHIL:
The way a lava tube forms
is by the lava itself

freezing on the surface,
an outer shell,

but continuing to be
pressurized on the inside

and pushing forward.

So what happens is over time
the mass of lava

moving through this pipeline
will carve its way down

and make a big opening,
like you see below me.

Once you have that
surrounding layer of rock,

it acts as an insulator
and holds in much of the heat

of the lava flow.

We've actually measured
from Pu'u O'o

the temperature of the lava

between the eruption site
and the ocean,

and it only loses about
five degrees

across the five- or
nine-mile distance.

NARRATOR:
When a volcano erupts
there are periods

when it produces more lava
than the lake can hold.

The excess spills out,
creating an overflow channel.

PHIL:
This is the overflow channel
from Mauna Ulu's lava lake.

As lava spilled
over the crater,

it would come rushing down
this channel in front of us,

physically carving out
the rocks below it

but also sloshing over
the edges

and forming all these
thin layers of lava

across which we're walking
right now.

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NARRATOR:
The Mauna Ulu crater
is directly over

Kilauea's rift zone.

Magma is moving under
the ground in this area.

You can't feel it
or directly see it,

but as rain water percolates
through the ground

it's heated by
the molten magma

and comes back out
in the form of steam.

Extinct lava tubes
and other volcanic features

have been used by
traditional Hawaiian culture

over the centuries.

They were often used
for defensive purposes.

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PHIL:
This is a pu'uhonua,
a place of refuge.

A place that Hawaiians built,
adapting a lava tube

into a place they could
protect themselves

and also store
their valuables,

as well as collect water
and other uses like that.

It's constructed in such a way
to have a very narrow entrance

so that it could be
easily defended

by one big Hawaiian warrior
with a spear.

You can see how narrow
this opening is right here.

We basically have to
crawl through

on our hands and knees
to get through.

NARRATOR:
The tube is big enough
that whole village

could seek refuge here
and wait out an attacking army.

They were well-stocked
ahead of time,

not only in war
but also in daily life.

PHIL:
Lava tubes were used
for many reasons,

including refrigeration,
shelter,

but also to collect water.

Set up a little tripod
with rocks,

put a gourd in the bottom,

and collect drips from those
little hanging obstacles

from the ceiling.

This is where it opens up
to the ocean.

When the Hawaiians were
using this cave,

it was actually
all the way closed off.

But a big earthquake in 1975
caused a cliff to fall away

and create this opening.

NARRATOR:
When the lava flows cease,

gravity causes
the tubes to empty.

And this one,
like many on the island,

ends at the ocean.

PHIL:
We would have had
a big ocean entry

with lots of steam
happening right here.

Once the flow was over
and the tube cooled down

many years later,

then the Hawaiians modified it
for their shelter.

[Distant sirens]

NARRATOR:
Back at Pahoa, the city
is once again on alert.

The re-pressurization at
Kilauea's main crater

has taken five days to
reenergize the lava flows.

The flows that had stopped
just outside the transfer

are once again
on the move.

And it's not good news from the
head of Hawaii's Civil Defense.

DARRYL:
Right now the flow rate
over the last 24-hour period

has been approximately
10 yards per hour,

so it's pretty consistent.

But when you average that out
throughout the day

we do have periods
where it does accelerate

and periods where it
appears to slow down

and even come to
almost a stall.

But it is active,
it is advancing.

NARRATOR:
The first fingers
stretch over Ap-ah Road.

The heat of the molten lava
is so intense,

the tarmac begins to burn.

The lava flow has enough energy
to keep pushing it forward.

This is a shield volcano
in action;

the slow-moving lava flows
inch along.

The residents of this house
would have had

plenty of time to evacuate.

But all it takes is the touch
of one small finger of lava.

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[Crashing]

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NARRATOR:
If the flows pass over the main
town road and keep going,

the main highway
will be next.

If that goes, then Pahoa's
8,000 residents

will be cut off from
the rest of the island.

DARRYL:
So this morning,
as I mentioned,

the flow is still active,
still moving.

As far as any questions,
a timeline before it hits

Pahoa Village road,
as we've shared before,

it's very difficult to forecast
with any certainty

but based on the current
distance we're looking at

some time in the
next 24-36 hours,

if it was to hold
in the same track, path,

and rate of advancement.

NARRATOR:
The lava creeps along,

destroying everything
in its path.

It is burning its way
towards the main road to town.

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NARRATOR:
Then a stroke of luck:

the lava flow
has run out of steam

and stops suddenly about half
a block from the main road.

But the threat isn't over.

The lava flow has broken out
in a new direction

further uphill and is taking
a new path towards Pahoa.

It's now heading straight
for a major shopping plaza

on the outskirts of town.

At the current rate,
this new flow

will reach the plaza
in two weeks.

Again, the people of Pahoa
can only wait and see

what Kilauea will do.

How long Kilauea can continue
erupting is unknown;

not even the scientist
can say for certain.

USGS SCIENTIST:
Well, I mean, if you look at
the geologic precedent,

this eruption has been
going on for 30 years.

Over in other portions
of the volcano

where we've mapped
the geologic history,

it's not uncommon
for pahoehoe shields

building flows to last
up to 50-60 years.

And on Mauna Loa there was
a period where lava flows

lasted for five centuries.

NARRATOR:
Half a world away on the
Indonesian island of Sumatra,

another volcano is threatening
the people who live nearby.

Unlike Kilauea in Hawaii,
Sinabung is a stratovolcano.

It has a thick,
viscous lava.

When Sinabung erupts,
the lava collects on the summit

and builds what is called
the lava dome.

[Explosion]

NARRATOR:
Each new eruption of magma
adds onto the dome,

pushing it outwards and
making it prone to collapse.

When it does collapse,
it sends a rush

of super-heated volcanic gas
and rock downhill

in a avalanche called
a pyroclastic flow.

It burns and destroys
everything in its path.

Pyroclastic flows
are fast and deadly.

In 1902, pyroclastic flows
from Mt. Pelee

on the Caribbean Island
of Martinique

killed 30,000 people
when a hot ash cloud

descended on the town
of Saint Pierre.

Indonesia has 150
active volcanoes,

so the threat is
a constant reality.

Andi Susanto is an
internationally renowned

volcano guide.

It's arguable that he has
more direct experience

with Indonesia's
active volcanoes

than anyone in the world.

ANDI:
The activity of Sinabung
actually is at level 3.

Level 3, that means this is
in a status alert.

NARRATOR:
Level 3 is given to a volcano
that has the potential

to produce a large eruption.

ANDI:
Now we can see that
there is a pyroclastic flow

that you can see from here.

NARRATOR:
Level 4 indicates a volcano

that is in a major
eruptive phase.

ANDI:
According to the people
from the hotels,

last night was one of the
biggest pyroclastic flows,

and also this morning,
like around 5:00.

NARRATOR:
They head to a point
close to the volcano

just outside the main
exclusion zone.

A volcano that produces
this type of eruption

requires extra caution.

ANDI:
Now you can see that
our position is--

I would say we are in
the certain safe distance.

So now we are in
4.5 kilometers.

The first danger zone is
located in 3 until 4.

So any people who live in
the four-kilometer

from the summit are not allowed
to live there.

NARRATOR:
Natural topography
defines exclusion zones

around volcanos.

Here a small river and gorge
provide protection

to channel any small to
moderate pyroclastic flows

that might come off
the volcano.

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ANDI:
I use this place because of
these considerations:

that we are still
in a safe distance

and then we can see
with an open view,

explosions or even pyroclastic
flow down the mountains.

NARRATOR:
Over the past few weeks
a new pulse of magma

has been extruding from
the vent under the dome.

Big blocks of lava have been
pushed over the precipice.

When the dome gets too big,
the pressure and gravity

cause small bits and rocks
to break off.

Suddenly a section
shears off.

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

NARRATOR:
The rock disintegrates,
releasing burning hot gases

that have been trapped
inside lava.

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NARRATOR:
The lava boulders break into
small super-heated pieces

of rock and ash that billow up
from the volcano

in an ash column.

ANDI:
Phew!

So finally we just saw the
eruptions with ash column.

It's almost about 1.5
kilometer vertically,

and also spreading out
down there,

you can see near the valley.

The activity of Sinabung now
is currently still quite active.

NARRATOR:
This was small,
but as the dome grows

over the next few days,

the flows will
get much bigger.

Once considered dormant,
Sinabung came back to life

in 2010 after
a 500-year slumber.

A number of small towns
in the danger zone

have been abandoned.

Several months ago, some of
the people in the danger zones

ignored the warnings
with tragic results.

ANDI:
There is, like, a small village,
actually located only about

three kilometers
from the summit.

So the name is Bakira,
and then, the next is Sukameira.

Those villages were hit
by the pyroclastic flow

on 1st February.

Fourteen people were killed
by that pyroclastic flow

and eruptions.

NARRATOR:
Every volcano that
poses a risk to populations

in Indonesia is monitored
by the government's

geological agency.

Sinabung was dormant
for so long

that it was not even on
their radar.

The volcano's mineral-rich,
fertile soils

attracted farming
communities.

When it woke up in 2010,
evacuations began.

3,000 people were forced
to leave their homes.

The government tried to relocate
as many as possible.

The rest ended up
at a refugee camp

where they have been living
for more than four years

waiting for new housing
that the government has promised

to build for them.

But they are
subsistence farmers,

and when the volcano's
activity is calm,

they brave the extreme danger
and go back to their villages

to harvest their crops,

which they sell at
the refugee center market.

The situation is part of
life in Indonesia.

This is Karangatang Volcano
in North Sulawesi.

Andi visits a nearby village,

hit by pyroclastic flows,
now abandoned.

ANDI:
Now we are in a very
dangerous area.

This volcano has been active
for a long time,

and it always normally
remains in level 3.

NARRATOR:
When pyroclastic flows
hit a town

there is no safe place
to hide.

Along with the debris,
there is what is called

a pyroclsic surge,
which is mostly made up

of burning hot gasses
and ash.

ANDI:
It's quite thick.

You know, even in the floors,
almost five centimeters,

you know, the thickness
of a surge.

So, the people always
have to stand by here.

It's quite dangerous.

People have been evacuated all,
so relocated,

and are not allowed
to live here any more.

It's... yeah,
it's terrible.

The situation now in
Karangatang is very active,

so this volcano has been very
active since May until today.

NARRATOR:
Andi knows this
situation first-hand.

He too lives on a dangerous
volcano that is known

to produce devastating
and deadly pyroclastic flows.

Mount Merapi is Indonesia's
most active big volcano.

It erupts every
two to three years,

and produces major eruptions
every 10 to 12 years.

Its last major eruption
was in 2010.

More than 300 people died,
including Andi's close friend

and mentor Mbah Pujo.

ANDI:
So this is the house
of my lovely friend Mbah Pujo

and his wife.

He is one of my
best friends I have.

I always remember this place
very, very well.

In my imagination
I still stay in the room,

I still have the feeling
that I'm talking with him.

This is the house,
the meeting rooms.

This is the Ino,
for the livestock there.

And behind there,
in the back,

he used for kitchens.

I liked this place because
it's near volcano.

It's my hobby, and it's
my, you know, profession.

NARRATOR:
Mbah inspired Andi to follow
his passion for volcanoes.

Mbah Pujo was head the of
the Merapi Mountain Guiding Club

where Andi worked
as a guide.

ANDI:
At the time, as usual
we discuss about Merapi,

now it's getting
more increased

and the increase
can be dangerous.

But, you know, he's an old man
that I respect,

and maybe he knows
better than me.

NARRATOR:
Andi was away at the time
of the eruption,

but came back to see his
friend in the hospital.

ANDI:
So this was the last time
I visited him

and then I talked to him,
but I knew already

that his wife already died.

I visited him in the hospital,
in the ICU,

[inaudible], you know...

It's bad conditions,
because, you know...

he got burned in almost
more than 60% of his skin.

And then when I visited him
he always asked me,

"Andi, where is my wife,
where is my wife?"

And I was crying.

NARRATOR:
Andi was one of
the first responders

who risked their own life
to help victims

in the immediate aftermath.

This woman's husband
returned to the village

to tend to their
animals and crops

and was caught in
the eruption and died.

The government has tried to
find ways to protect farmers

who get caught by
a sudden eruption.

They built an underground
bunker they hoped

would provide a safe haven
during a pyroclastic flow.

Its first trial was during
an eruption in 2006.

Tragically, the bunker
was a failure.

ANDI:
You can see the layer of the
bunker is about five meters.

And with a thick wall.

The members of the rescue team
tried to evacuate people here.

And this doesn't work,
you know,

because the pyroclastic flow
has the temperature

of 800 until 1000 degrees,
so we can imagine.

NARRATOR:
Two people who sought refuge
in it died.

The intense heat
was so great,

it turned the bunker
into an oven.

It now serves as
a macabre monument,

and tourist attraction for
people coming to see Merapi.

ANDI:
One guy you know died
in the bathroom,

and one guy actually here.

Maybe they tried
to lock the door.

But maybe was late,
you know.

NARRATOR:
There's no way of knowing
whether the two people

held the door open,
waiting for other people.

ANDI:
They use, even, you know,
an excavator.

They use anything;
you know, people try to help.

Many people tried to know what
happened with the two victims.

NARRATOR:
The bunker is not
the only reminder

of Merapi's deadly ways.

Despite the death
tolls from Merapi

that stretch into the thousands
over the past centuries,

people still choose
to live here.

ANDI:
They depend their life
from the volcano.

They make money from the sand,
from the rock.

From the ash, because the
ash can give the fertile soil.

So anything can grow here.

NARRATOR:
They go back to their houses
despite the warning level

for very simple reasons.

ANDI:
You know, it was
in level 3.

And then also it was very
quick that the authority

from the Volcanological
Survey of Indonesia

changed the status to become
level 4 in a week.

So they still worried about
their livestock

they have to feed.

And also try to check on
what they have,

their property,
that anything is still safe.

NARRATOR:
In the years since
the eruptions,

the ruined villages serve as
a potent reminder

of the dangers of volcanoes.

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ANDI:
This is about 13 kilometers
from the summit.

Local people call
this a museum,

but actually this is like
a private house.

The name of the family
is Yanto.

They lost everything because
of the pyroclastic flow.

But he was in the evacuations,
in the shelter.

And so they collect all
the things that are left

from the last eruptions.

Local people here,
they like to visit

and watch this museum,
because they want to study,

they want to see what happened,
you know?

NARRATOR:
The artifacts reflect the haste
in which people left.

Unlike the volcanoes in
Hawaii where people had time

to pack their belongings
and move,

here everything
was abandoned.

Every item is a reminder
of what happens

when the intense heat
from a volcano

interacts with
man-made objects.

It's another reminder that
in the face of the elemental

forces of nature, we are
sometimes simply helpless.

A wall clock has
captured the moment

that changed thousands
of lives forever.

ANDI:
The last massive, the biggest
eruption of Merapi volcano.

This is Friday already,
five minutes after midnight,

on the 5th November
of 2010.

This family just want to
show to the people to be aware

about Merapi and the dangers
of volcanos.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

NARRATOR:
A secondary effect
of an eruption is a lahar.

Heavy rains carry
pyroclastic flow debris

into streams and rivers.

These deadly mud flows can
reach much further

than the initial eruption.

In the town of Armero, Columbia,
23,000 people were killed

when a lahar from the
Nevado Del Ruiz volcano

buried their town.

In 2010 at Merapi, a massive
volume of pyroclastic debris

was washed downstream.

It jammed the bridge that spans
Yogjakarata's main highway

and caused the river to divert
through the center of town.

Years later, the town
is still digging out,

and some of its residents
are still haunted

by that fateful night.

Many stayed at home,
despite a warning

from the government
to evacuate.

That decision nearly cost
some people their lives.

Bapak Warto
was one of them.

ANDI:
He was living here
during the lahar flow.

You know, was buried
like this, you know?

Almost, you know, get up
to the neck like this.

NARRATOR:
As he stood in the
rising waters,

the ash settled around his
lower half, trapping him.

Through the night,
as the water level rose,

he struggled to keep
his head above water.

With no immediate chance
of rescue,

he thought he was
going to die.

NARRATOR:
The river carried boulders
as big as cars

that crashed into houses,
tearing them apart.

One crashed into
Warto's house.

It was a lucky break.

The water was
diverted away from him,

ultimately saving his life.

Others were not so lucky.

Most of the residents
chose to relocate,

but some like Bapak Warto,
chose to rebuild.

ANDI:
Here, so actually now
when we see this,

this is his house.

This is the floor.
Like, living room, you know?

Normally he with his family
are living together,

you know,
watching television.

So, this was, like,
buried by the liquid

of the lahar flow,
and lahar deposits.

And now he has
already moved here.

This is actually the new
buildings that we built

after the lahar flow.

This is something that's
left after the destruction

from the lahar flow
of Merapi Volcano.

NARRATOR:
In the end, the
lesson learned here

is that only safe answer
is to move people away

from the volcano's path.

It will be years before
the former residents

from Sinabung's danger zone
can even consider rebuilding.

Most have accepted
the government's plan

to relocate them.

Their homes will be in
one of several towns

built by the military.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

NARRATOR:
The first families have
already started to move in.

Here, they will be safe
from the volcano.

For those who live just
outside the restricted zone,

Sinabung's eruptions
are now the new normal.

They're re-building their lives
as best they can,

living in houses far enough away
to be safe at night.

But during the day they're
still tied to the danger zones

around the volcano
where they continue

to grow their crops.

What the future holds for
the volcano is uncertain.

Little is known about
its eruptive history

and whether this volcano
is capable

of a much larger eruption.

For now it remains
very active.

[Explosion]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

[Rumbling]

♪♪♪

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♪♪♪

NARRATOR:
Back in Hawaii,
the residents of Pahoa

are once again waiting to see
if they'll be forced out

of their community.

The new lava flows are
within a city block

of the shopping center.

But just as before,
they get a lucky break.

The flow once again
burns itself out.

A few weeks later,

this flow no longer
seems to be a threat.

The lava has
changed direction,

and is now affecting
an unpopulated area.

However, the community that
once felt it was safe

from Kilauea is now living
a different reality.

They know that without warning,
the next pulse from Kilauea

could send the lava farther
and destroy their town.

In our era, human beings

have bent the natural world
to our will:

cutting down forests,
mowing down grasslands

and paving over
natural spaces

to create a world
that suits our needs.

But the volcanoes
are an exception.

They are a force of nature
that we cannot tame.

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