Tsunami hysteria haunts C. Sulawesi

Tsunami hysteria haunts C. Sulawesi

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of people in Central Sulawesi who fled to the highlands
because they feared a tsunami would hit the province after
Monday's strong earthquake, remained in shelters on Tuesday
despite no further reports of aftershocks.

Only a few refugees returned home, including some students who
returned to school after a day after the early morning 6.2-
magnitude quake destroyed or damaged at least 23 buildings near
its epicenter.

Many government offices resumed services to the public, and
traditional markets and shops in the provincial capital of Palu
reopened.

However, Antara news agency reported that more than 10,000
residents from Palu and the Donggala regency had refused to
return home and continued to live in makeshift tents.

Many housing areas in Palu and villages in Donggala remained
deserted, while other refugees who had returned to their homes
slept outside to avoid the effect of possible aftershocks.

Government officials from the provincial government and the
Palu and Donggala local administrations visited the makeshift
tents in Paneki village and west Palu, to try to persuade the
refugees to leave.

Aswan, a 23-year-old refugee in Ngatabaru, located some 200
meters above sea level, said he and his family fled their home in
Petabo, south Palu, after the quake.

They were still staying in the refuge area because they
believed rumors there would be stronger aftershocks and
subsequent tsunami tidal waves, he said.

"We don't want to gamble with our lives because tsunamis kill
in minutes and nobody could do anything to save us," Aswan said.

Ani, a 52-year-old mother of four from Dolo, Donggala, said
she had brought her children to a refuge camp in Kawatuna because
her house was badly damaged by the disaster.

A security guard at Mutiara Airport in Palu said that more
than 7,000 Palu residents were still camping in forest areas
around the airport.

The Undata Hospital was also deserted and dozens of seriously
ill patients had been moved to makeshift tents in the hospital's
parking area. More than 100 other patients had been taken home by
their relatives.

Hospital director Dr. Riri Lamadjido said that six terminally
ill patients in intensive care and several others suffering
serious diseases were transferred to the makeshift tents in
anticipation of stronger aftershocks.

"It's only temporary," Riri said. Many patients taken by their
relatives following the earthquake had now returned to the
hospital because they still needed medical treatment, she said.

Suko Prayitno Adhi, chief of Palu's Meteorology and Geophysics
Agency, said it was unlikely there would be strong tremors or any
resulting tsunamis in the immediate future.

Only extremely large undersea earthquakes, generally higher
than magnitude-8, trigger tsunamis.