Early warning system tested in Padang
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang
Some 5,000 residents in West Sumatra capital city of Padang left their belongings and houses behind them in the coastal areas of Ulakkarang and Purus, spilling onto the streets and heading to higher ground some three kilometers away on Monday morning.
The residents -- many of them women and children, still in their school uniforms -- were participating in a tsunami evacuation drill held by the Padang city administration and the Tsunami Watch Community (Kogami) to test the region's tsunami early warning system for the first time on Monday, precisely a year after the massive disaster devastated parts of Aceh and North Sumatra provinces last year.
Syahrial, a 62-year-old resident of Ulakkarang, said he was no longer quite so worried about a tsunami.
"If a big earthquake strikes, myself and my family will immediately flee to higher ground, which we can reach in 30 minutes," he said.
Monday's drill started after the Padang mayor ordered the emergency evacuation to start after receiving a mock report from the Meteorological Agency in Jakarta that a sensor on the ocean floor had detected a major earthquake.
Soon, sirens were wailing and people rushed to a predestined evacuation area, followed by ambulances and fire trucks.
State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman, who attended the drill, said he was satisfied with the results.
"The drill worked just fine, but I hope similar exercises can also be conducted in other areas," he said, adding that the drill should also involve the electricity utility, hospitals, markets and businesspeople.
If possible, the electricity should be cut off to make the drill as realistic as possible, he added.
"Everyone should be involved in the drill. By involving everyone, we can prevent people from panicking," Kusmayanto said.
Since the tsunami struck, the country has been rattled by hundreds of aftershocks and smaller earthquakes. It is now in the initial stages of setting up a tsunami early warning system involving the installation of beach sirens and setting up of international lines of communication. However, it might take two more years before the system is fully operational.
West Sumatra Deputy Governor Marlis Rahman said the drill was a positive development as the city, which borders on the region hardest hit by last year's tsunami and has 440,000 of its 700,000 people living in coastal areas, is among the areas most vulnerable to earthquakes and ensuing tsunamis.
"As a result of the drill, people will be less likely to panic so much, thus cutting down on the risk of accidents," he said.
Padang Mayor Fauzi Bahar said the administration would continuously strive to improve the system so as to safeguard residents from the threat of tsunamis. "I'll also ask all schools to perform tsunami evacuation drills, such as during breaks," he said.
The Padang city administration, he added, would work together with the state telephone company PT Telkom to install 87 sirens on the company's masts.