The people of Indonesia are once more facing a crisis with the eruption on Tuesday 23rd September of the Mount Merapi Volcano in Central Java. Some 390 people died either from incineration, from the inhalation of hot ash, or from the collapse of the buildings in which they sought shelter. Thousands more were displaced, whilst heavy rain and high tides impeded the attempts of rescue workers.
On Monday October 1st a tsunami then struck the island as people slept and without any warning, causing even more fatalities. Thirteen villages were swept away and many of the outlying islands were completely flooded. It later transpired that the tsunami early warning system which had been installed after the tsunami of December 2004 had not been adequately maintained and was not functioning at the time.
The following day Mt. Merapi erupted again, this second eruption being three times more powerful than the first, with a third eruption and the biggest by far occurring on the Thursday night. This eruption claimed fifty more lives. Ash rained down over a 25km radius causing the closure of schools and also the local airport, with 70,000 people having now been evacuated to shelters.
Mt.Merapi lies on a belt of intense seismic activity and is one of the most active volcanoes in the region. Experts inform us that the volcano could remain active for months. In the meanwhile Krakatoa to the South West of Indonesia is also showing signs of activity.
Tsunamis are often associated with volcanic activity, since both are caused by the movement of molten magma beneath the earth’s crust.
The Philippines too lies on the ‘Ring of Fire’ which surrounds the Pacific basin, and as such is also prone to similar seismic disturbance.
The recent eruption of Mt. Bulusan is evidence of geological instability within the Philippines too. And so my question is this. How prepared are we if a tsunami should impact our Island in the middle of the night? Is our early warning system fully operational and regularly maintained? Do we even have one?Have local residents been adequately informed about what precautions to take, how to react, and where to go should such an incident happen in Panay? I suspect that the answer is ‘No’.
At no time in man’s history has our Earth been more prone to Tsunamis than at the present time, and for sure there will be more tsunamis to come. Some of them might well strike closer to home. Hopefully what has happened in Indonesia will serve as a wake up call to all of us, and in particular to those whose duty it is to ensure our safety./TE
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