The stronger-than-usual explosion at Ibu volcano this morning (image: PVMBG)
Due to sustaining above-average explosions, a decision has been made to raise the volcano’s alert level from Level III (SIAGA) to Level IV (AWAS) on 16 May.
In the Level IV (AWAS), people are advised to avoid the area within a radius of 4 km and 7 km from the crater.
The warning bulletin states that lahars (mud flows) could occur if heavy rainfalls remobilise fresh ash deposits and may pose threaten to inhabited areas.
This morning at 08:00 local time, yet another impressive column of ash erupted from its cinder cone. The powerful eruption triggered a 4 km (13,100 ft) high ash plume, spewing ash emissions up to 5,325 m (17,400 ft) altitude in the western direction.
Source: Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi volcano activity update 17 May 2024
The Level IV (AWAS) hazard map of Ibu volcano (image: PVMBG)
Borough of Peapack and Gladstone, New Jersey, officials recently approved a measure to hire the U.S. Department of Agriculture in June to corral and kill Canada geese who call the borough’s Liberty Park their home. Such massacres—which begin when birds are flightless after seasonal feather molting and therefore especially vulnerable—rip wild families apart. Adult geese are trucked away to be killed, leaving orphaned young to starve or succumb to other terrible fates. In addition to being exceedingly cruel, such roundups are wholly ineffective at controlling Canada goose populations, because survivors simply breed at accelerated rates while inevitable newcomers arrive for the still-available resources. The result is always an insidious killing cycle with no end in sight.
PETA and area residents gave decision-makers information on the cruelty and futility of this approach and encouraged the use of nonlethal methods that effectively persuade unwanted geese to move on—evidently to no avail. The borough reportedly plans to move forward with this massacre despite a public outcry. Now it’s your turn to speak up!
Please take a moment to contact city officials and politely urge them to adopt humane methods. Then forward this alert to everyone you know.
Personalized messages carry the most weight, but feel free to use our sample letter as a guide:
I was appalled to hear the city council of the Borough of Peapack and Gladstone has reportedly voted to contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture this summer to round up and kill Canada geese who call Liberty Park home! In addition to ripping wild families apart and leaving orphaned young to starve or succumb to other terrible fates, killing or otherwise removing geese is wholly ineffective in the long term for controlling Canada goose populations. As long as areas remain attractive and accessible to them, survivors will breed at accelerated rates in response to the sudden spike in the food supply and newcomers will arrive for the still-available resources. Please reconsider this cruel initiative and fully and consistently commit to tried-and-true humane wildlife deterrents instead!
You can contact officials with one message—just copy this block of e-mail addresses and paste them in the “To” field of your e-mail:
From 16/05/2024 to 16/05/2024, a Moderate Tropical Storm (maximum wind speed of 106 km/h) IALY-24 was active in SWIndian. The cyclone affects these countries: Seychelles, Miscellaneous (French) Indian Ocean Islands (vulnerability Medium). Estimated population affected by category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher is 0 (149 in tropical storm).
