Uphill task to convince Merapi residents of volcano danger

THE threat from more than 100 volcanos that dot Indonesia is impossible to predict with any precision. But that’s not the hardest part of the job, says Surono, the head of the country’s monitoring agency. The hardest part is getting the message out.

In the days before Indonesia’s most volatile volcano awakened from four years of dormancy last month, Surono said he saw indications that Mount Merapi had more energy pent up in it than he had ever seen before.