National response will suffice

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(New York, 13 September 2007):

A series of earthquakes struck Indonesia today, following an initial 8.4 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra the previous evening. The United Nations (UN) responded by sending a nine-person assessment team from Aceh to Bengkulu province, which arrived in the area at noon. Both Wednesday's and Thursday's earthquakes generated aftershocks and tsunami alerts that were subsequently called off, although a wave of up to nine feet was reported to have struck Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, about 20 minutes after the initial quake.

In Bengkulu, the UN assessment team met the Vice-Governor and several Government officials, and also conducted assessments at a local hospital, before relaying their findings to the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Country Team, based in Jakarta. After reviewing those findings, the UN Country Team concluded that a major international relief operation was not required at this time.

"The response measures taken by Indonesia were quite effective, and demonstrate how preparedness can go a long way towards meeting needs in the aftermath of a disaster," said John Holmes, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

Also today, Vice President Kalla of Indonesia thanked the Secretary-General for the offer of assistance made by the UN yesterday, but said that the national response would suffice. The Indonesian Department of Social Affairs had prepared tents and meals for the displaced, while the Department of Health had prepared one ton of medicine, three tons of supplementary food for children under five, and one ton of food for distribution. The Crisis Management Centre of Ministry of Health has deployed 20 medical personnel to Bengkulu from its Palembang office. The military has prepared several planes to transport people, and helicopters from nearby airports are ready for use.

In Bengkulu province, Government assessments revealed that more than one hundred houses had collapsed, and thousands more had been damaged. Those displaced had gathered around two "concentration points" in Bengkulu city, the provincial capital. Around 10 deaths and 25 injuries have been reported. Some damage to public buildings and homes was also reported in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province. Patients at all hospitals were evacuated; two out of five hospitals in Padang city were considered unsafe for operation. There were three deaths and nine injuries in West Sumatra.

In-country UN agencies will support Government efforts, if needed. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has one hundred tons of emergency supplies on stand-by in Medan, North Sumatra, while the World Food Programme (WFP) has food stocks available in Jakarta and Banda Aceh. The World Health Organization (WHO) is also prepared to work closely with Department of Health to assess needs.

For further information, press releases are available at http://ochaonline.un.org or http://www.reliefweb.int .

Bengkulu Earthquakes 13/14 September 2007

The Indonesian Red Cross - Palang Merah - is already active in the affected areas and donations can be made to their bank account:
Bank Mandiri
Cabang Wisma Baja
(Swift Code: B E I I I D J A)
a/c 070.00001.160.17
a/n Palang Merah Indonesia

The Latest Indonesian Earthquake: West Sumatra

The quake struck late in the morning, at 1049 local time (0349 GMT), while many people were at work or school killing at least 70 people and injuring hundreds.

The magnitude 6.3 quake struck on Sumatra island and was felt as far away as neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, where some tall buildings were evacuated. It was followed by several strong aftershocks.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor struck 20 miles below Solok. It was followed by several strong aftershocks, one measuring 6.0.

Tuesday’s quake was about 660 miles west of the country’s capital Jakarta.


Pre-Disaster Landsat over the Earthquake-Affected Areas Near Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

• UNOSAT_EQ_WSumarta_Pre-Landsat_6March07_lowres_V1.0.jpg (974.4Kb)
• UNOSAT_EQ_WSumarta_Pre-Landsat_6March07_highres_V1.0.jpeg (2.4MB)

Elevation over the Earthquake-Affected Areas Surrounding Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia

• UNOSAT_EQ_WSumarta_Elevation_6March07_lowres_V1.0.jpg (728.7Kb)
• UNOSAT_EQ_WSumarta_Elevation_6March07_highres_V1.0.jpeg (1.6MB)

Some recent natural disasters in Indonesia (Source)

• March 6: An earthquake strikes Sumatra Island, killing at least 52 people and damaging hundreds of buildings.March 3: Landslides triggered by days of heavy rain kill at least 40 people in eastern Indonesia.
• Feb. 1: Rivers in the capital, Jakarta, burst their banks, submerging parts of the city in water up to 12 feet deep, killing 57 and displacing 450,000.
• Dec. 29, 2006: A ferry sinks in a storm, killing more than 400 people in the Java Sea.
• Dec. 23, 2006: Heavy rain touches off floods that kill more than 100 people and displace over 400,000 on Sumatra.
• July 17, 2006: An earthquake triggers a tsunami off Java island's southern coast, killing at least 600 people.
• June 19, 2006: Floods and mud flows kill up to 300 people in southern Sulawesi province.
• May 27, 2006: An earthquake in central Java kills at least 5,800 people and injures more than 36,000.
• May 2006: A series of explosions spew hot ash down the slopes of Mount Merapi, forcing 15,000 villagers to flee.
• May 2006: A mud eruption at a drilling shaft on Java displaces more than 11,000 people and inundates villages and factories, spewing a million oil drums of muck a day.
• Jan. 4, 2006: Some 200 people are killed in a landslide on Java.
• March 28, 2005: More than 900 people are killed and tens of thousands are left homeless when an earthquake hits Nias, Banyak and Simeulue islands off the coast of Sumatra.
• Dec. 26, 2004: An earthquake sets off a tsunami that kills more than 160,000 people in Indonesia, mostly in Aceh province on Sumatra.

2 year anniversary of Indonesian (Aceh & Nias) Tsunami

Feels like yesterday, but it actually has been 2 years since the deadly natural disaster attacked.

Two years also this blog has been running, on and off, trying to gives the most updated information on disasters and aid information in Indonesia.

Since then Indonesia has been hit by Pangandaran Tsunami (West Java) and Yogyakarta Earthquake with great deal people has become victims and displace from their home.

But for now, let us remember the deadly tsunami that attacked Aceh and Nias two years ago, and evaluate how far the Indonesian government and the people of Aceh has bounce back from it.

For some times now Aceh and Nias rehabilitation and reconstruction effort has been under an agency called BRR (Badan Rekontruksi dan Rehabilitasi Aceh-Nias), where you can find their official website here: www.brr.go.id

The site has a dedicated page for 2006 Commemoration where there you can find:

• Aceh and Nias Two Years After the Tsunami 2006 Progress Report (pdf 5.6MB) with its Press Release that accompany this report.

• Fact Sheet of 2005 & 2006 Progress

• Partner's (UNDP, USAID, World Bank, etc.) Progress Reports and Fact Sheets.
  

• Also find Event Schedule, Media Contact Info and Photos & Videos on the page

Check out also UN Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery website here: http://www.tsunamispecialenvoy.org


Some numbers:

• 15,000 transitional houses built
• 57,000 permanent houses will be built by the end of 2006 in Aceh and Nias
• 623 permanent schools in Aceh and 124 in Nias built/repaired, supplemented by 379 temporary schools
• More than 1 million cubic metres waste cleared and processed, including reclaimed rubble for 52km road and almost 17,400 m3 reusable/recyclable timber
• 1,200 km of all type of roads in Aceh and 300 km in Nias have been built/repaired.
• 121 bridges in Aceh and 37 in Nias have been repaired
• More than 50,000 ha of agricultural land have been rehabilitated
  

Reported at least 262 killed on Java Island

A tsunami crashed into beach resorts and fishing villages on Java island Monday, killing at least 262 people and leaving more than 160 missing after bulletins failed to reach the region because no warning system was in place.

Pangandaran it's quite a famous beach resorts and tourist destination in West Java Province. (Pangandaran Travel Guide from Virtual Tourist.com)

It was told that frantic tourists and villagers shouted "Tsunami! Tsunami!" as the wave more than 6 feet high approached. Some climbed trees or fled to higher ground to escape while others crowded into inland mosques to pray.

At least 23,000 people fled their homes, either because they were destroyed or in fear of another tsunami.

Death toll rose to at least 262.

• At least 172 people were killed and 85 others were missing in the Pangandaran area. A Pakistani national, a Swedish national and a Dutch national were among the dead. Most of the victims were believed to be Indonesians.
• At least 77 were killed and more than 70 others were missing in nearby Cilacap district.
• 13 others died elsewhere along the coast.

Complete story here: Tsunami kills at least 262 on Java island

2006 West Java Tsunami Simulation

Click here if you can't see the simulation.

The paper accompanying the simulation prepared by Hamzah Latief, Aditya Riadi, Dodi Zulkarnaen from Dept. of Oceanography, Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) and Tsunami Research Group, Center for Coastal and Marine Development, Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB), INDONESIA is available for download here: "Preliminary Result of the 2006 West Java Tsunami Simulation" (.pdf)

Series of Earthquakes in Indonesia

Today, 17 July 2006, series of earthquakes attacked Indonesia the southern part of Indonesia, approximately south of Java Island after an earlier earthquakes in South Sumatra all with magnitudes of 5+.

The biggest one (Mag 7.1) creates a 2m waves and official has reported 5 casualties.

Earthquakes information from USGS:

	MAG	UTC DATE-TIME y/m/d h:m:s	LAT deg	LON deg	DEPTH km	Region
MAP	5.9	2006/07/17 11:07:37	-9.486	107.732	40.7	SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	5.4	2006/07/17 10:44:37	-9.043	107.777	40.4	SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	6.0	2006/07/17 10:09:09	-8.860	107.799	20.0	JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	6.1	2006/07/17 09:13:10	-9.133	107.653	46.6	SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	5.7	2006/07/17 09:05:18	-9.798	107.961	10.0	SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	7.1	2006/07/17 08:19:31	-9.295	107.347	48.6	SOUTH OF JAVA, INDONESIA
MAP	5.3	2006/07/17 05:32:28	-4.908	102.134	20.7	SOUTHERN SUMATRA, INDONESIA

Five dead in tsunami off South Java

Five people have been killed in a tsunami triggered by an earthquake off the island of Java, the Indonesian president said.

The earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.2, struck off the town of Pangandaran at 1519 local time (0819 GMT), causing a two-metre-high wave.
BBC Report

Sonora Jogja Media Center

Jogja Media Center from Sonora Radio Station 97.4 FM (in Indonesian)

http://www.sonorajogjamediacenter.org/

Contact
Sonora Jogja Media Center
Radio Sonora 97,4 FM
Jl. KH. Wakhid Hasyim 256 (ndalem Tejokusuman)
Yogyakarta 55262

Hot Line Earthquake Information
On Air: (0274) 450363 • 0274) 450364
Off Air: 90274 (Hunting)
SMS: 08175483200 Fax: (0274) 450361
Yahoo!Messenger/E-Mail: sonorajogjamediacenter[et]yahoo.co.id

Webgis/Webmapping Application - Java Quake

Sistem Informasi Bencana DIY
Fakultas Geografi Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta

Peta dan Informasi Bencana Gempa Jogjakarta dan Jateng (SG Viewer needed)
Jurusan Teknik Geodesi UGM dan Bappeda DIY

[Via Eko]