It has been 30 years since the twin volcano eruptions decimated the beautiful seaside town of Rabaul. On the morning of 19 September 1994, the Vulcan and Tavurvur volcanos situated on opposite sides of Rabaul's Simpson Harbour, erupted sending giant mushroom clouds into the sky. Residents were relatively accustomed to quakes and minor eruptions.
But this one was different. Jurgen Ruh, who owned a shipping and salvage company in Rabaul recalls the unusual tremors that began on the day before. "We had an earthquake early in the morning at around four o'clock.
It was massive. Water came out of the tanks outside; cups fell off the sink and there was a fair bit of damage in the house." Warning signs and evacuation Rabaul was built by the German colonial administration in the early 1900s and was the German headquarters until it was captured by the British in the early days of World War 1.
For the people at Matupit near the volcanos, who still had living memory of the last eruption in 1937, the warning signs were being taken very seriously. Ruh said when the elderly people from Matupit began leaving the area, other people followed. "The town was self-evacuating.
The authorities called all the car dealers and said: Open your gates, let all your cars go. They called the oil companies and told them to give fuel to any car that came. Car dealers were also told to pick up anyone who was leaving Rabaul and take them to Kerevat, a safe distance away from the eruptions.
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