Flash floods hit thousands of houses in North Aceh

Banda Aceh (ANTARA News) - Flash floods have inundated thousands of houses in 19 sub districts in North Aceh District, Aceh Province, since Friday, following incessant rains over the past few days.

The flood waters in a number of residential areas in North Aceh reached heights of up to one meter, Bukhari, an official of the Aceh provincial social affairs office, said here on Saturday.

The worst affected areas were Matangkuli and Langkahan where a number of residents were forced to evacuate themselves to safer places reas and schools were closed, he said.

Three bridges in Bukit Linteung, Langkahan sub district, were destroyed by the floods, and tens of inhabitants of Pateng Siribee were forced to flee their homes in boats.

Several villages in Aceh`s eastern coastal areas were also flooded such as Bireuen District, Lhokseumawe, East Aceh and Kuala Simpang.

Floods have affected East Aceh since last Wednesday (Dec. 5) evening.

Flood waters up to one meter high submerged houses in Pantee Bidari, Simpang Jernih, Ranto Peureulak, Julok, Nurussalam, Idi Tunmong, Banda Alam, Darul Aman, Peudawa, Peureulak Barat, Peureulak Timur and Sungai Raya.

However, there were no immediate reports of casualties in the floods.

City to host crisis management conference

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Rapid urbanization in Asia has resulted in the region's large cities being more prone to crises resulting from both natural and man-made disasters.

In response to this situation, The Asian Network of Major Cities (ANMC21) in 2003 held the first of what would become annual Asian Crisis Management Meetings.

This year's meeting, to be hosted by the Jakarta administration from Oct. 24 to 25, has been themed "Damage Mitigation and Maintenance of Major Cities' Primary Services in a Disaster".

Representatives from Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo and Yangon are scheduled to attend the meeting.

The first day of the conference will include presentations from several of the city's agencies concerning public order, public infrastructure and fire-fighting, as well as presentations from ANMC21 representatives.

Delegates will visit the city's crisis center at the City Hall, the Meteorology and Geophisics Agency (BMG) and the Fire Department Training Center on the second day of the conference.

At past conferences, issues such as urban disasters and terrorism were focal points.

The network's fourth conference held in Singapore last year focused on "new threats" such as terrorism, while delegates at the network's third conference in Seoul predominately discussed fires.

The most common disasters to strike Asia in recent years have been earthquakes, floods and fires.

In developing cities, the impact of disasters is often exacerbated by a lack of urban planning and facilities.

"We expect to learn a lot from the experiences of other cities," the head of Indonesia's Inter-city Cooperation Bureau Aisa Tobing said.

Jakarta's recent efforts to manage and prevent crisis situations have been seen as substandard by many, with floods continuing to hit the city year after year.

Aging fire departments and trucks have contributed to the city's poor record in fire prevention and management in recent years.

Last week the city's fire department told new Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo that more personal and fire trucks were required.

The governor promised to look into greater funding for the department.

Last year there were more than 900 fires in the city, the majority of which started in densely populated areas according to data from the city's fire department.

Between January and September this year some 680 fires had already been reported in the city.

Indonesia to boost military role in disaster relief

Google / AFP

JAKARTA (AFP) — In a land hit by one natural disaster after another, Indonesia's armed forces must shift their focus from the battlefield to emergency and relief efforts, its defence minister said Wednesday.

In an interview with AFP, Juwono Sudarsono said most of Indonesia's defence spending in the next decade would go on improving its transport capability to better respond to emergencies.

There are certainly plenty of those.

Earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, floods and fires are a virtually daily feature of life in this vast archipelago nation, which sits on the so-called Pacific "ring of fire" where continental plates meet.

The deadliest recent event was the December 2004 tsunami spawned by a quake which swept the Indian Ocean, killing 168,000 people in the northern point of Indonesia's Sumatra island.

Sudarsono said he foresaw that in the next 10 to 15 years, the role of the defence forces would be particularly important in terms of delivering relief and aid to stricken areas.

"Looking ahead, for 10 years ahead in this ring of fire, and with tectonic plates underneath us, the bulk of our defence spending would be on transport capability for emergency responses," he said.

That would include air and land transport as well as a sealift capability, he added in the interview, conducted entirely in English in his office.

By man-made disasters, he said, he meant conflicts that were "endemic" in outer islands such as the Moluccas and other troublespots.

"The bulk of our budget for the period for 2005-2010 is, in fact, more for transport and airlift capacity, and sealift," Sudarsono said.

He said the military were quickest to respond to disaster, with airplanes and helicopters commandeered by the government for initial search and rescue efforts as well as providing aid supplies.

"As exemplified by the post-tsunami relief efforts, the army, the navy and the air force were first on the scene with transport ships, helicopters," he said.

Sudarsono was educated in Britain and the United States and has served in different administrations back to the regime of former dictator Suharto.

Now 65, he says the armed forces -- 316,000 personnel across the army, navy and air force -- are run on a modest annual budget of 3.2 billion dollars.

Its delivery capacity suffered greatly under a military embargo imposed by Washington after a bloody 1991 massacre in Indonesia-occupied East Timor.

The embargo has been lifted, but 15 of its fleet of 21 Hercules transport airplanes remain out of operation.

"We are focusing on the Hercules because we have about 21 planes and about three quarters of them are grounded because of the lack of spares," Sudarsono said, adding that the air force was prioritizing their refitting.

Traditionally reliant on the West -- notably the United States -- for its military equipment, Indonesia has since a decade ago sought to diversify its sources, Sudarsono said.

The Indonesian and Russian presidents inked a billion-dollar arms deal in September under which Jakarta is buying helicopters, tanks and submarines.

It came a month after Indonesia had signed another deal worth 354 million dollars to buy six Sukhoi-30 fighter jets from Moscow.

Sudarsono said he would also be visiting China in early November to sign a defence cooperation agreement that could include a joint production programme, again focusing on transport.

He said the military shopping spree was not aimed at boosting Indonesia's strike capability.

"We would just like to maintain what we call technological parity with the fighters that are existing in the region, be it Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand," adding that in terms of quantity, the Indonesian air force had "just the bare minimum."

"That is all that we can afford," he said. "I am running one of the best underpaid defence forces in Southeast Asia."

Quake drills may help save lives: Expert

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ivan worked until late and was just about to leave the office when he felt the high-rise building he was in on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, begin to sway. In a panic, he and three others from the same floor took the elevator to reach the lobby. It got stuck.

"I thought 'this is it' ... we almost lost hope, but then the elevator started working again," he said, recalling the evening of Sept. 12 when a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale hit Bengkulu and West Sumatra.

Most building tenants are unaware that the swaying of a building is actually a good sign: meaning the building won't fall down.

Although there are no regulations on earthquake mitigation in high-rise buildings or public places, many building owners have designed their properties to withstand quakes up to a 7-magnitude on the Richter scale.

"However, many building management boards ignore the importance of a disaster mitigation grand plan, which should involve all tenants and authorities in the building.

"The fact that most people tend to forget life-saving measures when they panic in an emergency situation highlights the importance of regular escape drills," said Amtono Prasutanto, a consultant and training instructor at the Disaster Management Institute of Indonesia.

"Drills train your brain and body where to go and what to do in an emergency situation."

Amtono suggested building management boards appoint caretakers on each floor of high-rise buildings to show tenants escape routes out of the building to be used in emergency situations.

"Floor caretakers can set up their own emergency plans, while the building management boards should be responsible for facilitating each plan. It's better to have strategic emergency plans in place. One can never be too careful or too prepared," he said.

What to do in the event of an earthquake

If you are indoors - Stay inside - Drop to the floor, take cover under a heavy piece of furniture or stand against an inside wall. Stay indoors until the shaking stops and it is safe to exit. - Stay away from windows and doors. - Never take an elevator.

If you are outdoors - Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees and power lines. - Drop to the ground until the shaking stops.

If you are in a car - Slow down and drive to a clear area (as described above). - Turn on emergency lights and slow to a stop. Do not stop on overpasses, underpasses or bridges. - Be aware of overhead hazards such as power lines or falling debris from buildings. - Turn off the ignition and set the parking brake. - Stay inside the car until the shaking stops.

If trapped under debris - Do not light a match. - Do not move about or kick up dust. - Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing. - Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. - Shout only as a last resort, as shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous particles.

Source: Disaster Management Institute of Indonesia

City told to prepare for earthquakes

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta is not among quake-prone regions, but it must prepare for the destructive impact that earthquakes may exert on high-rise buildings.

A seminar Wednesday told the city to make buildings earthquake-ready, improve seismic risk assessment and quickly alert residents about quake activity.

The seminar aimed to evaluate existing disaster policies and improve earthquake safety awareness.

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said, at the opening of the event held at City Hall, that the city was vulnerable to earthquakes because of subsurface instability and buildings that were not up to modern earthquake standards.

"We must therefore set a new standard for building construction here; the buildings must be able to withstand quakes measuring up to 9 on the Richter scale."

According to the governor, most Jakarta buildings were high tech and built with underlying soil conditions in mind.

However, even modern buildings would not necessarily be able to tolerate a quake measuring eight plus on the Richter scale, said the head of the city's building planning and control agency, Hari Sasongko.

"It's very costly to prepare (buildings) to withstand the more powerful earthquakes, and it will require redesign," he told reporters on the sidelines of the seminar.

He added that all buildings with permits were already in line with current earthquake risk compliance standards.

In a presentation, coordinator of the city administration's building construction consulting team, Widyanyana Merati, said that Jakarta should conduct a detailed seismic disaster risk assessment involving the formulation of strategic plans for anticipating and mitigating the impacts of quakes.

Widyanyana also said the administration should prepare a system for issuing community alerts and facilitate the development of an emergency rescue system.

Head of the data and geophysics information center of the Meteorological and Geophysics Agency, Sunarjo, told the audience in the event of an earthquake-triggered tsunami, Jakarta could minimize the number of victims by publicizing news of earthquakes as soon as possible after their occurrence.

"The information could be delivered via SMS, email or fax in less than five minutes."

But this type of emergency notification system would only be available, he said, after completion of the Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (year-end 2008 completion date).

Within the last two years, Jakarta residents have felt the vibrations of three earthquakes whose epicenters were far from the capital: the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Pangandaran, West Java, in July 2006; the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in Indramayu, also in West Java, last August; and the 8.4 magnitude earthquake in Bengkulu earlier this month.

In Jakarta, none of these earthquakes caused significant structural damage or claimed human life. (11)

Emergency numbers in case of earthquakes

Crisis center : (021)3822212, 3500000, 3862022

Fax: (021)3862022 and (021)3823412

SMS: 0811 920 203

Ambulance : 118

Fire department : 113, 344, 1309, 7507

PLN (power company) : 123

Tollway operator : 801, 1735

Search and Rescue : 115, 550, 1111, 2111

Police : (021)5250110, 3857974, 110, 112, 525

Red Cross (PMI) : (021)3906666, 7992325

Disaster training for medical officers

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): The Ministry of Health said it has established an international training consortium on disaster risk reduction (ITC-DRR) this month to better handle disaster response management.

The ministry's spokesperson Lily Sulistyowati said the consortium, which involves universities, hospitals, and health institutions, will provide training for disaster relief workers.

Disaster relief efforts have been in progress for some time, with ongoing emergency management training for 1,149 medical officers posted across nine regional crisis centers, she said.

"The training program began in 2006, and involves officers from Medan, Palembang, Jakarta, Semarang, Surabaya, Bali, Banjarmasin, Makassar and Manado," the spokesperson said Friday.

Training areas include disaster management, radio communication, emergency treatment, medicine and logistics management, rapid health assessment, advanced cardio life support, as well as advanced trauma life support.

Medical officers need specialized skills in disaster relief management, including categorizing patients, setting priorities and how best to deliver medical assistance.

Lily also said disaster response management, especially health services, facilities and equipment, needs improvement because disasters are often followed by various health problems.

Regional government leaders should not joint evacuation, Yudhoyono says

Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered regional government leaders not to leave their tasks behind and join evacuation when a national disaster hit their areas.

"Leaders must have the sense of willing to sacrifice for their people in handling a natural disaster though it is something difficult to face," the president said when observing the center of Bengkulu Natural Disaster Mitigation Task Force (Satkolak PBA) here on Monday.

President Yudhoyono, who was accompanied by Chief Minister for People`s Welfare Aburizal Bakri, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari and Indonesian Defense Forces Commander Djoko Suyanto, symbolically handed over relief aid to Bengkulu Governor Agusrin Maryono Najamudin.

He said that he could not accept if regional leaders were also `evacuated` when there were emergency situations such as the ones befalling the provinces of Bengkulu, West Sumatra and other regions.

The president said the disaster impacts would be difficult to be managed well and maximally if the leaders left their tasks behind.

"I will not blame them if they evacuate because there are aftershocks or tsunami but they can still issue instructions from their evacuation places so that the people would not lose control," he said.

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 rocked Indonesia`s Bengkulu province at 6.10 p.m. on Wednesday, claiming the lives of 14 people and injuring 23 others.

The president said that in an emergency situation a leader must be ready to stay awake all the time if needed. "If a leader does not carry out his or her tasks well it could be ascertained that the job would not be settled effectively," he added.

On the occasion, the president also asked regional governments not to provide misleading information from irrelevant agencies aside from, for example, the Geophysics and Meteorology Agency.

He also made the same appeal to the media publications, electronic or print, advising them they quote news from official sources.

Govt declares emergency response status for Bengkulu and Padang

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian government has declared an emergency response status for Bengkulu and Padang respectively for a week and three days following quakes that had rattled the two regions on Wednesday and Thursday.

The decision to that effect was made at a limited cabinet meeting chaired by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Halim Perdanakusuma air force base here on Thursday evening.

In the meeting which was also attended by Vice President Jusuf Kalla and a number of cabinet ministers it was reported that 10 people had so far been found killed in the disaster, namely six in Bengkulu and four in West Sumatra.

At a press conference after the meeting President Yudhoyono said he had told heads of the regions rocked by the quake who happened to be out of town or abroad to immediately return home to direct emergency response efforts.

"As aftershocks still continued, he called on residents in affected areas to remain alert. They must be in full alert while continuing their emergency response efforts and must not panic as operating procedures for dealing with natural disasters are already in place and trainings in dealing with disasters were about to be started," he said.

On the occasion the President also offered his condolences to the families and relatives of the quake victims and called for immediate attention to the injured.

He said although the tremors were quite strong, reports and results of inspections in the quake-ridden areas said the damage caused to the two affected regions was minimum, including the number of deaths.

He praised the people who had learnt a lesson from the quakes and tsunami in Aceh in 2004. "I heard that the local governments` response to the disaster and the swiftness of the people in seeking safety have been better. This deserves an appreciation. The results are good," he said.

In spite of the fact he said that the government would contine to improve the system of disaster handling including logistics supply, so that any disaster could be handled quickly by local governments and the central government would only help in case of a huge disaster.

Information minister Muhammad Nuh meanwhile said two islands namely Mentawai and Muko-Muko still remained isolated after the quake and telephone lines there had also been cut off so that the real situation in the areas was still not known.

VP thankful early warning system proved beneficial in Bengkulu quake

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Vice President Jusuf Kalla has expressed gratitude for the fact that people in coastal areas had benefited from existing early warning systems when a powerful earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale rattled Bengkulu and West Sumatra provinces on Wednesday evening.

"The public`s awareness about unpredicted disasters has improved. When the earthquake struck, people in coastal areas immediately fled their homes to escape a possible ensuing tsunami. Therefore, I am thankful that the early warning systems worked," Kalla said in his capacity as chairman of the National Coordinating Board for Refugee and Natural Disaster Mitigation here on Thursday.

He said the small number of fatalities in the powerful earthquake which hit Bengkulu and Jambi on Wednesday proved that the people had already become aware of the advantages of having early warning systems.

"There are two measures that we should take in the future. The first is we have to prepare people to face disasters, the second is train them continually while preparing the logistics and medical supplies when we are in emergency situations," Kalla said.

He said people should also improve the structures and foundations of their houses in order to be able to survive earthquakes.

Kalla said the government had already made examples and prescribed good standards of quake-resistant buildings, although it would take time for people to follow them.

On the occasion, the vice president also expressed his gratitude to the media which had continued to warn the people against the possible occurrence of tsunami.

"My sincere gratitude also goes to the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) which has accurately warned the people of impending disaster," Kalla said, adding that he was also thankful that only minor damage was done by Wednesday`s earthquake.

PMI begins sending relief aid to Bengkulu quake victims

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) on Thursday began sending relief aid to victims of the earthquake that hit Bengkulu province on Wednesday.

The humantarian organization on Thursday sent 1,000 pieces of tarpaulin, 1,500 hygiene kits, 150 packages of family kits from its warehouses in Padang, West Sumatra, and medicine for about 1,000 patients from its warehouse in Jakarta, the PMI said in a statement.

"The aid will be handed over to Bengkulu`s PMI office which will distribute it to victims," the head of PMI`s Disaster Handling Division, Arifin Muh. Hadi, said.

In the meantime, PMI Bengkulu had deployed 30 volunteers to carry out a field assessment in North Bengkulu, the worst-hit area.

PMI`s assistance would be distributed based on the results of the field assessment.

A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 that rocked Indonesia`s Bengkulu province at 6.10 p.m. on Wednesday has claimed the lives of six people, injured 23 others and damaged tens of houses, public buildings and infrastructure facilities.

According to reports received by the Bengkulu branch of the Natural Disaster Mitigation Coordination Agency (Bakorna) at 11 am on Thursday, the newly discovered victims were residents of Bengkulu Utara and Muko Muko districts, Hamsyir Lair, the chief of the agency`s local unit, said.

Some 32 houses and shophouses were totally destroyed -- eight in Bengkulu City and 24 in Bengkulu Utara --, 430 buildings were seriously damaged and 609 others suffered minor damage.

Hamsyir said the natural disaster had also wreaked havoc on eight houses of worship in Bengkulu City and Bengkulu Utara while three school buildings suffered minor damage.

Although the tremblor was not as catastrophic as the 7.3 magnitude quake of June 4, 2000 when 95 people were killed and tens of thousands of house buildings were damaged, it caused anxiety about a tsunami.

Health Ministry gets 150 new ambulances for disaster relief

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (JP): Vice President Jusuf Kalla on Tuesday handed over 150 ambulances to the Health Ministry for disaster relief management, especially in isolated areas.

Kalla said when disasters occurred in remote areas, the lack of access often resulted in higher victim numbers. He hopes the 4-wheel-drive vehicles, which were designed to operate in war and disaster areas, would help resolve this problem.

Kalla suggested the ambulance only be used in limited circumstances, such as evacuations, to save operational costs.

Elshinta radio reported the new ambulances, which cost some Rp 12 billion (US$1.3 million), would be distributed to several hospitals including the National Police and Indonesian Military hospitals.

Govt to build disaster relief depots

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government plans to set up a nationwide network of depots for emergency relief supplies and form a new national agency tasked with managing natural disasters in the country.

The "disaster logistics depots" will be established in each provincial capital, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie said. They will be stockpiled with enough food and medicine supplies to handle the occurrence of a natural disaster in each region.

The depots will also be supplied with equipment and transportation vehicles to ensure the quick and effective distribution of supplies to disaster victims during emergency relief efforts.

"This is part of our effort to improve disaster management in the country, by `regionalizing' it," Aburizal told reporters after a meeting Monday with Vice President Jusuf Kalla and National Coordination Agency chief Syamsul Maarif.

"The plan for the logistics depots is to overcome logistics and transportation problems in relief situations. These are areas which have hampered the quick mitigation of disasters in the past," Aburizal said.

The government expects the establishment of logistics depots to make future relief efforts more efficient and avoid the high costs associated with "sending out Hercules planes from Jakarta just to ship supplies of instant noodles," Aburizal said. Managed as a network, the depots could support each other, with those in the vicinity of a disaster-affected region serving as the nearest back-up facility.

However, he declined to mention how much the establishment of the network of logistics depots would cost, or when operations would commence.

The government has allocated Rp 2 trillion (US$219 million) for disaster mitigation purposes in this year's state budget, with several disaster-affected regions already proposing an additional Rp 2.7 trillion in funds. The government also plans to set up a nationwide early warning system throughout the country by 2008.

A string of disasters have hit the country in recent years. The Coordinating Ministry Office has cited floods as the most frequently occurring disaster, while earthquakes cause the most human casualties and fires cause the greatest material losses.

Aburizal said the depots will be managed locally in each region, but will remain under the auspices of the central government -- in this case, the new National Disaster Management Agency that will be formed.

"We are still working out who will manage the facilities. It may either be the local administration, or the local military," he said.

Aburizal also said the depots would be separate from the rice stockpile depots managed by the National Logistics Agency, although they may work in cooperation.

Aburizal said the government expects the new National Disaster Management Agency to be formed within 6 months, as required by a new law on disaster management that the House of Representatives passed in March. However, the government is still discussing how it will replace the existing National Coordination Board (Bakornas) and National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

Kalla defends the purchase of 12 choppers

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (Antara): Vice President Jusuf Kalla Tuesday defended the government's purchase of 12 helicopters, which will be used to carry out immediate helps for victims of natural disasters.

He also denied that the procurement of the choppers did not pass through right procedures.

"There is nothing wrong with the procedure. All those stories are nonsense," he was quoted by Antara news agency as saying before leaving for his Middle East trip.

Many criticized the procurement of the choppers, which were being held by Custom Office because supplier has not paid entry taxes. There was also a report that the procurement involved Kalla's relative.

According to Kalla, the chopper purchase is for the pride of the nation and for the sake of people's interests because so far, Indonesia always borrowed choppers from neighboring countries to give immediate help to victims of natural disasters.

He also denied that the choppers will be used for commercial transports.

Flood victims badly need food, clean water

JAKARTA (JP): Poor emergency transportation vehicles have restricted food distribution to a number of flood hit areas in Jakarta.

Elshinta radio station reported that at least flood victims in Bintaro, Ciledug, Kelapa Gading were still waiting for food aid from authorities, but poor transportation vehicles had given difficulty for the search and rescue (SAR) team to reach them.

Flood victims also badly needed clean water for their daily usage as tap water was cut off in the flood affected areas.

Some people had to flee their flooded houses to their relatives houses or offices only to take bath.