Dubai Telegraph - Indonesians drill for disaster before tsunami anniversary

EUR -
AED 3.8756
AFN 72.200575
ALL 98.139539
AMD 411.532283
ANG 1.916419
AOA 962.319203
ARS 1053.188708
AUD 1.630218
AWG 1.899315
AZN 1.784231
BAM 1.955003
BBD 2.146925
BDT 127.068214
BGN 1.956891
BHD 0.397718
BIF 3140.020304
BMD 1.055175
BND 1.421121
BOB 7.348005
BRL 6.129194
BSD 1.063362
BTN 89.676253
BWP 14.428257
BYN 3.479882
BYR 20681.429409
BZD 2.143327
CAD 1.478495
CDF 3023.076626
CHF 0.936043
CLF 0.037472
CLP 1033.976525
CNY 7.638303
CNH 7.648689
COP 4726.12869
CRC 542.978712
CUC 1.055175
CUP 27.962137
CVE 110.22008
CZK 25.288011
DJF 189.351934
DKK 7.458214
DOP 64.043899
DZD 141.622416
EGP 52.009895
ERN 15.827625
ETB 129.779309
FJD 2.40258
FKP 0.83167
GBP 0.831235
GEL 2.880458
GGP 0.83167
GHS 17.173001
GIP 0.83167
GMD 74.917819
GNF 9164.265159
GTQ 8.216651
GYD 222.469334
HKD 8.212268
HNL 26.846059
HRK 7.526869
HTG 139.81302
HUF 408.163026
IDR 16774.7496
ILS 3.959224
IMP 0.83167
INR 89.068533
IQD 1392.932319
IRR 44414.948032
ISK 147.313122
JEP 0.83167
JMD 168.341393
JOD 0.748221
JPY 164.500191
KES 136.329796
KGS 90.952195
KHR 4308.244201
KMF 492.080753
KPW 949.658078
KRW 1481.418127
KWD 0.324772
KYD 0.886139
KZT 524.106404
LAK 23352.482837
LBP 95221.093219
LKR 310.793338
LRD 200.438313
LSL 19.102015
LTL 3.115657
LVL 0.638265
LYD 5.151876
MAD 10.572991
MDL 19.161191
MGA 4961.977776
MKD 61.584316
MMK 3427.167142
MNT 3585.4848
MOP 8.519528
MRU 42.330748
MUR 50.047248
MVR 16.302766
MWK 1843.848551
MXN 21.712439
MYR 4.735102
MZN 67.423993
NAD 19.102015
NGN 1777.041223
NIO 39.134051
NOK 11.764987
NPR 143.481165
NZD 1.799094
OMR 0.406253
PAB 1.063367
PEN 4.030158
PGK 4.274258
PHP 62.064863
PKR 295.443194
PLN 4.34422
PYG 8298.578641
QAR 3.87682
RON 4.97705
RSD 116.980897
RUB 103.919035
RWF 1459.505187
SAR 3.964662
SBD 8.846117
SCR 14.382386
SDG 634.688134
SEK 11.596378
SGD 1.419896
SHP 0.83167
SLE 24.073878
SLL 22126.461188
SOS 607.652355
SRD 37.226828
STD 21839.991486
SVC 9.304208
SYP 2651.158922
SZL 19.108032
THB 36.972803
TJS 11.329783
TMT 3.703664
TND 3.346836
TOP 2.471323
TRY 36.237853
TTD 7.226055
TWD 34.365466
TZS 2801.489873
UAH 43.929697
UGX 3902.409597
USD 1.055175
UYU 44.831729
UZS 13603.455994
VES 47.479192
VND 26796.168359
VUV 125.272516
WST 2.950778
XAF 655.689778
XAG 0.035082
XAU 0.000412
XCD 2.851663
XDR 0.801074
XOF 655.686672
XPF 119.331742
YER 263.580476
ZAR 19.275884
ZMK 9497.834156
ZMW 29.087146
ZWL 339.76591
  • CMSC

    0.0700

    24.61

    +0.28%

  • SCS

    -0.3000

    13.37

    -2.24%

  • RIO

    -0.5800

    60.62

    -0.96%

  • BCC

    1.4200

    142.55

    +1%

  • CMSD

    -0.0200

    24.73

    -0.08%

  • AZN

    0.1000

    65.29

    +0.15%

  • GSK

    -0.4100

    35.11

    -1.17%

  • NGG

    -0.7800

    62.12

    -1.26%

  • RBGPF

    59.2500

    59.25

    +100%

  • JRI

    0.0200

    13.24

    +0.15%

  • BCE

    -0.4800

    27.21

    -1.76%

  • RELX

    -0.4700

    46.12

    -1.02%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0400

    7.07

    -0.57%

  • VOD

    0.2800

    8.75

    +3.2%

  • BTI

    0.1800

    35.42

    +0.51%

  • BP

    0.4100

    28.57

    +1.44%

Indonesians drill for disaster before tsunami anniversary
Indonesians drill for disaster before tsunami anniversary / Photo: CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN - AFP

Indonesians drill for disaster before tsunami anniversary

Hundreds of Indonesians fled for higher ground Wednesday as they ran through disaster drills in the region worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami ahead of its 20th anniversary next month.

Text size:

Children burst down the stairs in a rush for safety from the second floor of a school near Aceh's provincial capital Banda Aceh, where more than 60,000 were killed in the tsunami.

As school bells rang out, dozens of children ran into the road covering their heads, following marked escape routes as volunteers shouted "evacuate".

"With exercises, we can prevent, rather than cure," said 34-year-old participant and local village official Rizky Firmansyah.

"It's better like that I think, because it's better for us to anticipate than to have things that we don't want to happen."

The drills simulated a repeat of the magnitude 9.2 earthquake which struck off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island on December 26, 2004, sparking giant waves that killed over 200,000 people in 14 countries.

The UN-organised drills saw hundreds of students and volunteers run to safe houses, including one four-storeys high, when the mock quake struck.

- 'Extremely important' -

The drills -- which took place in two villages as hundreds of observers watched -- were part of a tsunami summit of experts organised by the United Nations cultural agency (UNESCO).

Nearly 20 years on from the disaster, the UN is trying to get 100 percent of coastal communities prepared for a repeat tsunami by 2030.

"We must ensure the next generation remains informed, prepared, and resilient," Ardito Kodijat, a UNESCO official and head of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre, told AFP.

"Ensuring community preparedness requires regular drills."

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on earth.

The archipelago nation lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.

UNESCO experts say the world is much safer today from the threat of massive tsunamis due to early warning systems that were lacking in 2004.

But the agency has also warned coastal communities to stay alert.

"While we have made significant strides, the nature of this hazard requires us to remain vigilant," Vidar Helgesen, executive secretary of UNESCO's intergovernmental oceanographic commission, told delegates in Banda Aceh on Monday.

Indonesia's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency (BMKG) also took part in the exercises meant to test operating procedures, communications and evacuation preparedness.

Many people are believed to have lost their lives in countries around the Indian Ocean basin because of a lack of warning and preparedness.

So such drills are vital for locals, even though tsunamis are infrequent.

"This is extremely important for this community," said Cutraa Rasmanidar, a 21-year-old graduate working as a volunteer.

"I think it's important because it's reflective, so we can remember what happened in the past."

G.Koya--DT