Indonesia Quake Tests Nation’s Preparedness Upgrades Since 2004 Aceh Disaster

While the death toll mounts after Saturday’s Indonesian earthquake, studies show the country was much better prepared for the shock than before the devastating Aceh quake that killed tens of thousands of persons on December 26, 2004.As of late Saturday, 51 bodies had been recovered and some 2,000 persons had been displaced by the 7.7 magnitude temblor, which struck off the northern coast of Flores Island around 5:58 am Saturday local time. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach still-inaccessible areas close to the epicenter but is unlikely to approach anything near the 167,000 to 170,000 Indonesians who died in the Aceh quake.The latest tremor was weaker than the 9.1 magnitude Aceh quake, which spawned a tsunami that killed thousands more in countries around the Indian Ocean. But Indonesia was also much better prepared as a result of measures taken following the 2004 disaster.“The tsunami has ushered in a new era of a more systematized and structured disaster management across the country, based on international best practices,” says a United Nations report prepared for the 20th anniversary of the Aceh disaster.“Regulations have been put in place to establish and streamline processes in providing health care and food in case of disasters and also to establish local agencies to coordinate humanitarian efforts on the ground.”Those reforms have better positioned the country to take advantage of assistance pouring in this weekend from countries and international organizations including the United States, which has promised financial assistance to deal with logistics.The European Union has offered its Copernicus Earth observation satellites to support search and rescue efforts, while the International Red Cross is distributing survival supplies, temporary tents, and emergency sanitization equipment to the displaced. Countries around the Asia-Pacific region are also contributing.In Aceh itself, steps to improve disaster preparedness have gone beyond the usual infrastructure and logistical concerns to embrace a local story-telling tradition known as “smong,” in which life-saving advice is embedded in a children’s lullaby.“If the quake is strong and the waters recede, quickly find a higher place to be,” the lyrics go. “That is called smong, the history of our ancestors.” The song is now taught to every primary and junior high school student on the island of Simeulue, just 25 miles from the 2004 epicenter.“For full preparedness, we cannot rely on grandparents only — we must make sure every child is prepared,” explains an Aceh journalist and storyteller quoted in the UN report.“When there is an earthquake and a tsunami, you are in panic, you cannot be expected to think,” explained Ahmadi, who like many Indonesians has only one name. “This is why the emergency drill must be engrained and be second nature. This has to start from an early age.”Steps to overhaul disaster preparedness were also taken at the national level, including the passage of Law 24/2007 which lays out local and federal responsibilities under a national disaster management system. A National Coordinating Agency was established to coordinate efforts to reduce disaster risks in advance and to provide leadership during an emergency.The head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Indonesia, Thandie Mwape, cites other steps including mandatory tsunami preparedness drills in every Aceh school and a siren system that has been installed in some provinces accompanied by instructions on what to do when the alarms go off.“Indonesia is a knowledge hub and there is much that the world can learn from here — learnings that will lead to saving lives,” Ms. Mwape said.

Indonesia Quake Tests Nation’s Preparedness Upgrades Since 2004 Aceh Disaster

Indonesia Quake Tests Nation’s Preparedness Upgrades Since 2004 Aceh Disaster

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