Women and children wait to collect Save the Children hygiene kits at Kwarsen, an Indonesian sub-village.

Westport, CT (Updated June 8, 2006) — Following a massive earthquake on May 27 that killed more than 5,700 people and left tens of thousands of children homeless, families in central Java are preparing for a second possible catastrophe: a major volcanic eruption.

This morning, an overflow of gaseous clouds traveled nearly three miles down the southern slope of Mount Merapi, where the volcano sits. It was the farthest the clouds have traveled so far, reports Tammie Willcuts, head of Save the Children’s emergency response team in central Java.

Willcuts visited villages near Mount Merapi on Tuesday and reported on a previous collapse on the south side of the volcano that caused families in four villages to leave their homes.

Save the Children, which has run child-focused programs in Indonesia for 30 years, is stepping up its efforts to prepare for a second emergency response in the region as Indonesian authorities this week evacuated several thousand residents along the slopes of Mount Merapi. Willcuts and her team are currently assessing whether or not the evacuation barracks that currently house many families displaced by the earthquake need to be moved as a result of the increase in volcanic activity. There are at least 2,000 people, mostly women and children, at the barracks.

The volcano, located about 280 miles east of Indonesia's capital of Jakarta, has been spewing ash, hot gases and burning lava for weeks. Officials remain concerned about a possible major eruption.

Villagers have been asked to leave communities close to Yogyakarta, a heavily populated area still struggling to recover from the recent earthquake that has forced thousands of families to live in makeshift shelters after their homes were destroyed. Children also have resorted to begging on the street to assist their families.

“We are taking steps to assist displaced families and are making contingency plans to expand our efforts should the situation worsen,” Willcuts said. "Save the Children is working to purchase and distribute additional hygiene and household kits to assist families who might be impacted by a major eruption," she said.

Save the Children has targeted 40,000 earthquake survivors, including 30,000 children for assistance, added Willcuts. The agency is setting up five temporary schools to help children return to class as quickly as possible. Many students were preparing for final exams when the earthquake struck. The agency is also providing other essentials to equip the schools including blackboards, writing supplies for children and classroom equipment for teachers.

To fund the earthquake relief efforts, Save the Children has made an appeal for $3 million in public support to help Indonesian children and families recover from this emergency.

Learn more about Save the Children's Indonesian earthquake response