REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, KEDIRI - Some of refugees from Kediri Regency in East Java, have chosen to stay in the shelter although the government has reduced the Mount Kelud status to alert level.

"Although the status was reduced to alert level, some refugees are still living at the shelter because their homes have been damaged," spokesperson of Executing Unit for Disaster Management (Satlak PB) of Kediri Regency Adi Suwignyo stated on Friday.

Suwignyo pointed out that several refugees that chose to stay in the shelter are residents of Puncu and Kepung Districts. In these areas, the damage level was the highest from the Mount Kelud eruption.

The local government continued to collect data about the damaged houses after the Mount Kelud eruption on Tuesday, Feb. 13. There are 19 thousand damaged houses spread across four districts namely, Ngancar District, Plosoklaten District, Kepung District and Puncu District.

A number of building materials such as cement, roofs and woods, have been sent to the areas. The materials to rebuild the houses will be distributed among the local village officials. Suwignyo added that the repair of damaged houses involving the house owners and other residents, with the help of the officials, will be done soon.

The Volcanology and Geology Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has set the Mount Kelud status to alert level. At this status level, ten-kilometer radius from the crater should be sterile. 

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