Lessons from a large-scale evacuation on a small volcanic island: community resilience and inter-island mobility during the 1980 Gamalama eruption

Abstract

Small volcanic islands face heightened disaster risks due to limited land area, dense coastal settlements, and restricted evacuation options. This study examines the September 1980 eruption of Mount Gamalama on Ternate Island, eastern Indonesia, to analyse evacuation dynamics, community responses, and crisis management in a small-island context with limited institutional capacity. A mixed-methods approach was applied, combining archival eruption records, semi-structured interviews with eyewitnesses of the 1980 eruption, and a questionnaire-based survey of currently exposed communities to assess contemporary risk perception, evacuation behaviour, and the persistence of disaster memory. The eruption produced widespread ashfall reaching up to 15 cm across the island and triggered the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents to neighbouring islands, particularly Tidore, Halmahera, and Hiri. Despite the eruption’s severity and prolonged duration, no fatalities were recorded. The findings show that social capital, kinship networks, trusted local leadership, and inter-island mobility strongly influenced evacuation effectiveness, compensating for the absence of advanced monitoring systems and limited infrastructure. Cultural expressions and shared disaster memory further reinforced social cohesion and adaptive behaviour across generations. The Gamalama case demonstrates that disaster risk on small volcanic islands is shaped by the interaction between physical hazards and socially embedded response mechanisms. These findings highlight the importance of community-led evacuation, informal coordination, and intergenerational disaster memory in strengthening resilience in coastal and island environments under Anthropocene conditions.

Keywords

Small volcanic islands / Evacuation dynamics / Community resilience / Inter-island mobility / Disaster risk reduction

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Funding

Universitas Sebelas Maret(228/UN27.22/PT.01.03/2023)

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