Indonesian, International Aid Agencies Head to Quake-Devastated Nias
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C8522C:2F72C9D8.7 tremor Monday killed hundreds, destroyed road and bridges The
Indonesian government and international relief organizations are
rushing to send aid to the Indonesian island of Nias, where Monday's
massive earthquake killed hundreds of people.
The city center of Gunung Sitoli on Nias Island lies in ruins after a
powerful earthquake The 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck close to the
spot where December's 9.0 tremor triggered the devastating Indian
Ocean tsunami. The new quake destroyed roads and bridges on Nias, just
west of Sumatra Island, making it difficult for aid to get in.
The Indonesian government has dispatched doctors, medicine and
supplies to Nias. International aid groups working in Sumatra's
tsunami-devastated Aceh Province have sent personnel to survey the
damage.
Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarengang says hundreds of people on
Nias are dead, but concern now centers on how to deliver help to the
living. "Even though the airport is open, but from the airport to the
city Nusitoli bridges are down, so we might need helicopters," he
said.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono canceled a planned visit
to Australia this week, and instead will head to Nias in the next few
days.
Even Without Formal Warning System, Word of Possible Tsunami Got
Out
http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=C85222:2F72C9DIndian Ocean governments scrambled, improvised, managed to warn their
most vulnerable citizens of possible tsunami after Monday's
earthquake in Indonesia
An employee points at a graphic of the earthquake that rocked Sumatra
island at the Meteorology and Geophysics office in JakartaDespite the
lack of a formal warning system, Indian Ocean governments scrambled
and improvised and managed to warn their most vulnerable citizens of a
possible tsunami after Monday's earthquake in Indonesia. , people in
coastal regions responded quickly, moving to higher ground to avoid a
repeat of the December 26 disaster.
The massive earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of
Sumatra late Monday night has so far claimed hundreds of lives. If it
had triggered another tsunami - it did not - and if governments in the
region had not used a combination of radio and television, faxes and
mobile phones, to warn their citizens of possible danger, the toll
could have been far higher.
Soon after the eight-point-seven magnitude earthquake occurred,
meteorological departments and government officials across the region
improvised warnings to alert people to the danger of a tsunami.
Indonesia's Meteorological and Geophysics Agency, for example, used
radio and TV alerts to take the place of a tsunami warning system.
The quake and the warnings sent hundreds of thousands of residents and
tourists in coastal areas of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and
the Maldives to higher ground, fearing a possible repeat of the
December 26 tsunami that claimed nearly 300,000 lives.
Andi Mallarengang, an Indonesian government spokesman, says the
response was a positive development.
"That's one of the good things, the early warning system in terms of
how people would react and people going to higher ground right now
automatically because they fear about the tsunami," he said.
Soon after the December 26 disaster, talks began on setting up an
Indian Ocean tsunami warning system. The talks bogged down under
competition between Thailand and Indonesia about who should host the
system, and the delay led to the two countries proceeding with their
own warning systems.
On Tuesday, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced that his
government would set up a formal warning system within the week.
"I think it's very good, even though we don't have our systems ready
yet, but we have a monitoring process that is quite good enough. But
we will do better by the end of this month," he said.
Mr. Thaksin added that a combination of SMS mobile phone messages and
local radio and television alerts would be used.
Tuesday's quick response by the Thai Meteorological Department was in
contrast to accusations that it had failed to alert key centers about
the December 26 tsunami.
After that disaster, the head of the Thai Meteorological Department
was fired, and the government appointed a former department head,
Samith Dharmasarojo, whose warnings seven years earlier that Thailand
was vulnerable to tsunamis had been ignored.
On the Thai resort island of Phuket, the tourism police chief, Major
General Banthit Khaisutham, says he quickly dispatched people to warn
foreign visitors and locals to move to higher ground.
General Banthit says hotel staff and restaurant workers cooperated in
keeping people and visitors informed. But he admits the local
community was still worried.
"The local people they are afraid, they're afraid there might be the
tsunami will come again, but for the tourists, they know from the
hotel staff or from the hotel management [kept them] informed what's
going on," he said.
Andrea Hinrichs, manager of the Santana Dive Shop near Patong Beach,
which was devastated in the December tsunami, said the authorities
responded quickly after the earthquake was felt.
"You could feel the earthquake here about 10 minutes past 11 and about
half an hour later the Thai authorities gave out earthquake and
tsunami warnings so they emptied Patong, the whole beach area,
especially the night venues," she said.
Ms. Hinrichs pointed out that people were calm and moved to higher
ground where they remained more than two and a half hours before the
all clear was given.
She welcomes the news that efforts towards an effective tsunami
warning system throughout the region will be stepped up.
"In the moment there's a real tsunami warning system in place, then
you feel even safer than last night, [when] Thai authorities acted
very, very fast and also precise, giving people straight the right
answer where to go to, how to do it," she said.
The December tsunami left a terrible mark on the region, but the
reaction to the latest earthquake shows that governments and
populations are eager, and prepared, to avoid a repeat of that tragic
event.