[Kabar-indonesia] 7 JP Tsunami Reports: Editorial: System Failure [+Survivors heading home]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

7 JP Tsunami Reports: 

- Editorial: System Failure 

- Coastal cleanup goes on, survivors 
  heading home 

- Broadcasters recruited to tsunami 
  early warning system 

- Jambi lacks warning system 

- update: Large earthquake sparks 
  tsunami alert in Gorontalo 

- A thief shows how to get the word 
  out about tsunamis 

- Feature: Disaster communications 
  go a long way 

The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Editorial

System Failure 

Reports of the government's failure to react quickly to an early warning 
prior to the tsunami last Monday have raised a valid question on the workability 
of our system 
to anticipate calamities.

Training, workshops and other forms of exchange of knowledge on tsunamis have 
been in place since the killer waves swept across Aceh, Nias and other Asian 
and African countries facing the Indian Ocean in December 2004, killing no 
less than 150,000 people in Indonesia alone. International and regional networks 
have been established as well to help Indonesia and other nations prepare for 
the possibility 
of future disasters. 

But the precious lesson almost two years ago has apparently been wasted. In 
his visit to Banten to take a close look at tsunami early warning equipment 
Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono discovered that local people at risk 
were 
not even unaware of the danger. In response to the President's questions, the 
people said they had never been given practical knowledge about such 
disasters, 
not to mention undergoing any training to raise their level of preparedness 
to react 
to any warnings. 

People in the areas devastated by the tsunami on Monday last week were 
equally unprepared. Survivor accounts and TV footage revealed that many people 
neither felt the earthquake nor abandoned the beach when the seawater receded, a 
key signal of an imminent tsunami. Many others were asleep, and subsequently 
fell victim to the disaster. 

A lot of people could have been saved if the warning had reached them in 
time. The fact is no one and no institution sent the life-saving message, although 
the Japanese meteorology agency and the Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami 
Warning Center had alerted the Indonesian authorities of the incoming tsunami. 

Research and Technology Minister Kusmayanto Kadiman acknowledged he received 
the warning only after the disaster had already struck, and blamed the 
communication network and the long chain of command for the absence of an evacuation 
order. He also said the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) officials took 
a few minutes to pass on the warning to its regional office, partly due to 
bureaucratic procedures. As if to defend the agency, a BMG official said the 
early warning was unclear and needed verification. 

Warnings and predictions are never perfect or precise as there is always some 
uncertainty. But actions in response to the warnings are always pivotal. 
There are costs of acting as in the case of Mount Merapi, as well as costs of not 
acting as the tsunami on the south coast of Java has shown. 

All the excuses for the failure to react to the early warning on the 
government's part only pinpoint the chronic problem our bureaucracy has been facing 
for years: coordination. In the latest tsunami, BMG had passed on the warning to 
the research minister, instead of the transportation minister which is the 
agency's direct supervisor. Confusion regarding the government's humanitarian 
aid for the people affected by the disaster has arisen after the Vice President, 
the coordinating minister for people's welfare and the social welfare 
minister disclosed different amounts. 

It would be unwise at present to blame each other or seek a scapegoat for the 
failure of the early warning system that has caused the loss of more than 500 
lives. Improvements needs to be made quickly to the standard procedures which 
all related parties will have to refer to in response to any alert of a 
disaster. Manuals and procedures agreed upon must be published and disseminated to 
all people at risk. The related authorities have to meet regularly to ensure 
they understand each other and what other parties need from them. It is 
imperative for them to construct and review risk scenarios, while specific 
responsibilities throughout the chain are agreed upon and implemented. 

The government officials and House of Representatives legislators now 
debating the disaster management bill need to learn from the string of disasters that 
have highlighted the poor coordination between the relevant authorities. 

Of course, living in a disaster-prone country is not a curse but a challenge 
that must pull the nation together as President Yudhoyono asserted Saturday. 
We assume that the President is aware that behind all efforts to make people 
ready for the disasters lies a solid base of political support, laws and 
regulations and institutional responsibility. We hope the current administration can 
do whatever it takes to realize the Constitutional mandate to protect the 
entire nation from threats, including disasters. 

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Coastal cleanup goes on, survivors heading home 

Yuli Tri Suwarni and Suherdjoko, 
The Jakarta Post, Pangandaran, Cilacap

Grim reminders of last Monday's tsunami are slowly disappearing, with a 
massive operation to clear debris from areas along the southern coast and more 
people leaving shelters for their homes after reassurances the coast was safe. 

Over 3,000 soldiers, police, local officials and volunteers are working to 
clear the rubble and debris from tsunami-devastated areas. The cleanup is likely 
to last until early August. 

"Following on from the presidential instruction... authorities have set a 
time limit of two weeks from Saturday for the cleanup operations," a spokesman 
for Ciamis district, which covers the badly hit resort town of Pangandaran, 
Wasdi bin Umri, told AFP. 

During a whirlwind tour Friday of Pangandaran and the Central Java town of 
Cilacap, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the speedy cleanup of 
affected towns to allow people to return to their usual routines. 

He said the ruins and debris would otherwise continue to cause "psychological 
trauma". 

Heaps of debris were burned Sunday and private citizens cleared destroyed 
homes and businesses in Pangandaran. 

The search for survivors continued in Cilacap after Yudhoyono reminded rescue 
teams Friday that people had been found alive a week after the tsunami in 
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam in December 2004. 

On Sunday, about 5,000 people at a camp in Mt. Selok in Cilacap regency 
started returning home. Only four tents set up by the Indonesian Military remained 
occupied. 

"We will stay here. We are still running the health post for the residents," 
said the military post commander Sgt. Maj. Wasis. "As of Sunday noon, we're 
still treating 30 people." 

A similar post remained in Binangun district, although many tents had been 
packed away. 

Prayitno from Glempang Pasir village said Sunday that he only dared return 
home with his family after an official announcement there was no likelihood of 
more tsunamis. 

"Yesterday, I was still confused. Many were still confused since there were 
rumors of fresh tsunamis that made us think it would be better to stay on 
higher ground," the 53-year-old said. 

In coastal areas like Penyu Bay and Sentolokawat beach, dozens of fishermen 
set sail again for the first time. 

"We're going out to sea again after we heard there would be no more 
tsunamis," said Misban, a fishing business owner in Sentolokawat. "This time is really 
our high time, the good harvest time. A boat can bring back a catch of five 
tons." 

Nine fishing auction sites in Cilacap are also back in operation. 

On Sunday, the national disaster coordinating agency revised down the death 
toll to 596, but gave no reason for lowering it by 65 from Saturday's figures. 

It said the latest reports showed 439 people were killed in West Java, 154 in 
Central Java and three in Yogyakarta. 

The agency said another 73 were still missing and that 9,533 people were 
injured. About 74,100 people have been displaced, mainly around Pangandaran. 

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Broadcasters recruited to tsunami early warning system 

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Less than 15 minutes after the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) sent 
text messages to the media Sunday to announce another powerful earthquake off 
the northern Sulawesi coast, MetroTV news channel interrupted programming to 
issue a tsunami warning. 

Several minutes later, Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad appeared on the 
station, saying that he had instructed his subordinates to keep people away from 
coastal areas in the province. 

Deputy chief editor of MetroTV Sugeng Suparwoto said the broadcast was part 
of the station's public service efforts, including trying to mitigate 
casualties from the disasters which have devastated many parts of the country this 
year. 

"All divisions at our station agreed that news about earthquakes and other 
vital information could interrupt any show on the air," he told The Jakarta 
Post. 

He said it was unfortunate that it was only the station's initiative, instead 
of a national policy to provide important public information. 

"Broadcasters should be a systemic mechanisms in our early warning system 
because it's up to the TV stations' initiative, and another broadcaster might 
have different priorities in disseminating information on earthquake." 

The station's effort comes only a week after Monday's earthquake-triggered 
tsunami, with the authorities unable to alert the public in time of the 
impending disaster. 

Steps in bringing the media on board can already be seen. On Saturday night, 
as the winner of the KDI singing contest final on TPI was about to be 
announced, a BMG tsunami test signal suddenly flashed on the screen. 

BMG spokesman Edison Gurning said electronic media should become an integral 
part of the effort to disseminate information about earthquakes and the 
possibility of tsunamis. 

"We have facilitated several print and electronic media to receive real-time 
information directly from our short message service server to allow them to 
broadcast our recent data either through breaking news or at least in their 
running text," he said. 

The cooperation, which was recently established after the Communication and 
Information Minister Sofyan Djalil facilitated a meeting between BMG and media 
executives, could be the means to convey quake information to the public 
before the government could fully set up its early warning system. 

The government said it would speed up the installation of its Rp 1.2 trillion 
early warning system, which is expected to be completed in 2007. 

However, Edison pointed out that there was no formal agreement on providing 
the information. Another issue is that the cooperation should be done in tandem 
with the upgrading of the BMG's information and communication equipment to 
provide real-time information to the media and public. 

Edison said on average, a tsunami travels about 20 minutes from the epicenter 
of a quake to the nearest coastal areas, and texting messages to the media 
would be time consuming. 

"At present, our SMS server can messages to only 400 government officials, 
related institutions and the media. For the rest, we still send them manually by 
our own mobile phones," he said. 

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Jambi lacks warning system 

JAMBI, Jambi: Around 70 percent of the disaster warning system and weather 
observation posts in Jambi's 10 regencies and cities are currently not working, 
an official said Saturday.

Head of Jambi Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, RL Tobing, said that with 
only 30 percent of the equipment working the agency was having difficulty 
monitoring changes in the weather. 

"The agency's equipment is limited," he said Saturday, expressing hope the 
central government would lend a helping hand. 

The disaster warning system is crucial not only to watch out for impending 
disasters but also to assist farmers during the planting season and to monitor 
areas prone to forest fires. -- JP 

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Large earthquake sparks tsunami alert in Gorontalo 

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Manado

A huge undersea earthquake struck off Gorontalo coast Sunday, with a 
meteorology and geophysics official warning of the possibility of a tsunami hitting 
Sulawesi.

The head of the agency's earthquake center, Fauzi, said the 6.6-magnitude 
quake was centered at a depth of 62 kilometers under the sea, 90 km southeast of 
the city of Gorontalo. 

There were no reports of casualties or damage, according to the meteorology 
office. 

"We have informed local officials to warn people in the areas that the 
earthquake is likely to cause a tsunami in the area," Fauzi was quoted by Reuters as 
saying. 

"A tsunami hasn't taken place but people have been evacuated to higher 
ground." 

Sunday's earthquake comes less than a week after another powerful undersea 
earthquake triggered a tsunami on the south coast of Java island, killing more 
than 600 people. 

Gorontalo Governor Fadel Muhammad told El Shinta radio he had ordered an 
evacuation of coastal areas after the strong earthquake rattled the northern half 
of the island at 3:22 p.m. 

A Gorontalo resident, Ferry Majoa, told The Jakarta Post by phone that the 
earthquake struck twice, at 4:22 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. 

"The quake has made residents, especially in Bone Bolango area, panic and 
start to move to higher ground." 

He said many residents had left town two days ago, when they learned their 
areas were listed among high-risk tsunami areas. 

"Hopefully, the tsunami warning won't amount to anything," Ferry said. 

Indonesia, which sits on the "Pacific Ring of Fire", where continental plates 
meet causing frequent seismic and volcanic activity, was the nation worst hit 
by the December 2004 Asian tsunami. 

--------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

A thief shows how to get the word out about tsunamis 

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ladies and gentlemen, especially those in the Cabinet and those who received 
the text message about last week's earthquake. Please forgive those who may 
share this naive or even ridiculous suggestion -- that it would be a great 
contribution to the nation if you were prepared to learn how to save lives from a 
crook. 

Yes, a crook. It would be much more productive than blaming each other over 
who shared the greatest responsibility for the slow response to the tsunami 
warning. This assessment, however, is made merely on the basis of media reports. 

Here are a few sentences from a report Friday in this newspaper about an 
attempted robbery only days after Monday's quake: 

"A false alarm Wednesday had sent frightened people scurrying to higher 
ground ... Fisherman Memed said a thief was responsible for the false alarm. 

"There was a thief who stole a motorcycle. My son and several other people 
saw him and were ready to beat him up. But the thief's partner shouted, 'the 
waves are getting higher'! That's when people panicked and ran, and the sirens 
wailed." 

Just imagine if our ministers, like the crook, could think up a creative way 
to immediately alert people. 

You ministers are no doubt the nation's best and smartest sons and daughters. 
But learning from a crook? Why not? Many laughed at the humble personage Mbah 
(grandpa) Marijan, who stubbornly refused to leave his home when Mount Merapi 
showed signs of an impending major eruption last month. He said he firmly 
believed that the mountain would not touch Umbulharjo village. Whatever the 
explanation for his accurate prediction, Marijan has convinced people that he was 
right! 

Now the 73-year-old man often appears in a TV commercial promoting a jamu 
product, which boasts it can make men stronger (in every way). It would not be 
surprising if many people heed his wise counsel this time around. 

And to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, rest assured, I am following your 
guidance not to relate the tsunami with superstition. 

The President's concern about superstition is understandable especially when 
related to the recently published results of a survey by the Indonesian Survey 
Institute (LSI). It revealed that many respondents see the ongoing 
catastrophes as a forewarning from the powers above who are upset with the President. 

His predecessor Megawati Soekarnoputri was luckier, because although she 
expressed less empathy for the people, the disasters during her three-year tenure 
were fewer and of a lesser scale. 

For sure, we must try our best to avoid analyzing the disasters that have 
struck Indonesia, including the tsunamis, earthquakes and bird flu in terms of 
ominous signs. But it is tempting to ask: Why have there been so many disasters 
since Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla took over the national leadership in October 
2004? 

The Javanese are engaged in a guessing game over our leaders' names -- that 
the word yudho which means war is not harmonious with kala, the name of the 
giant god who swallowed the moon. This may be local wisdom passed down through 
the centuries. But does it mean that we should replace one of them or simply ask 
either the President or Vice President to change their name to Rambo, for 
instance? 

Perhaps the number of victims of the tsunami which hit West Java and Central 
Java on Monday could have been greatly reduced if the recipients of the text 
message from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) including Vice 
President Jusuf Kalla, presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng and State Minister 
for Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman, immediately followed up on the SMS although 
its content was only about the quake's coordinates with no further warning. 

The BMG also received warnings about a possible tsunami from the Hawaii-based 
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and Japan's Meteorological Agency about 15 
minutes after the quake. The tsunami struck about 45 minutes later. 

Unfortunately Minister Kusmayanto was kept busy denying media reports which 
quoted him as saying that the government did not announce the warnings of two 
international agencies about a possible tsunami after the earthquake, because 
it did not want to cause unnecessary alarm. 

One newspaper suggested that officials call up television or radio stations 
to announce the warning. Unfortunately the President's spokesman Andi 
complained that the content of the text message from BMG was too difficult to 
understand. 

Maybe myths are much easier to grasp. A friend tried to relate the earthquake 
that hit Yogyakarta and Central Java in May and the last week's tsunami with 
the controversial pornography bill. 

"Nyi Loro Kidul (the goddess of the southern sea) is angry with us because 
once the bill is adopted she can no longer wear her trademark kemben (strapless 
camisole)," he said. 

Myths are not helping us much these days, but creativity may be the key, even 
though it has taken a crook to point this out. 

The writer can be reached at purba at thejakartapost.com 

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, July 24, 2006

Feature

Disaster communications go a long way 

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta

The recent earthquakes that shook Indonesia over the last few months have 
highlighted the need for further preparations to help tackle such disasters.

Administrations in Tokyo and Hong Kong have long implemented procedures to 
resist, respond to and recover from a multitude of emergencies. They have also 
invested in one of the most important tools for gathering information: 
communications. 

"Without command, there is no control, (yet) without communications, there is 
no command," noted Tan Boon Hoi, business development manager, Asia Pacific 
Networks and Enterprise, Motorola Electronics (www.motorola.com), at the start 
of the recent Media Connect IT Journo Asia Forum in Desaru, Malaysia. 

Tan was highlighting the Mesh technology and other wireless broadband 
solutions that are being offered by Motorola, especially for the public sector. Mesh 
Enabled Architecture (MEA) uses multihopping technology to allow client 
devices (such as PDAs, laptops, radios and the like) to form an ad-hoc network on 
the fly. 

"With Mesh applications, (people) can bring the equipment for mission 
critical operations to an area and set up the network on the fly (to) share 
information among themselves," said Tan. 

Imagine having a team of 10, each armed with a Mesh-ready device. As they 
walk down into a cave, a building or a remote area, they basically form a 
wireless broadband network, with each person able to pass information to the other. 

The person closest to a command center can relay information back and forth 
from the man at the farthest point of the network, transporting data, audio and 
video. The people with these devices can be in a line or scattered about, and 
the network will dynamically form as well as self-heal if one of the devices 
is out of range. 

These devices can also be used to individually track the location of the 
wearer, via radio triangulation technology, which is useful in areas where GPS 
cannot be used, such as inside buildings. 

If the situation is really dangerous, you can send a volunteer (or robot) 
into a cave, and as they progress, they can leave a series of "breadcrumbs" of 
Mesh-enabled devices to daisy chain a network. The more devices within a 
network, the stronger it becomes. 

So if the volunteer sees something he is unsure about, he can communicate 
with the command center on the surface, complete with video. 

"These are all IP (Internet protocol) systems that can be interconnected," 
said Tan. "You can also make use of satellite (VSAT) technology to connect to 
these devices and send the information back to headquarters." 

For the government sector, Tan noted that in the U.S., part of the 4.9 GHz 
licensed band has been restricted for homeland security usage. 

As such, should a disaster strike, administration officials can quickly 
deploy their rescue and communications assets to quickly survey the situation and 
make rapid decisions, without any interference from other parties or relying on 
cellular networks that could also be knocked out by the tragedy. 

Of course, these systems can also be used for non-emergency activities, such 
as by police and fire departments for public safety and security. 

With Mesh cameras attached on traffic lights, it would be easy to track 
stolen cars as well as send automated tickets to those who violate red lights. If 
an emergency comes up, the cameras can be networked to provide constant 
monitoring to coordinate a response. 

In addition, Motorola offers a MOTOMESH multiradio broadband solution for 
citywide deployment to offer not only WiFi Internet access on the public 2.4 GHz 
frequency, but also emergency communications on the closed 4.9 GHz band. 

Perhaps this technology can resolve the last mile issues facing the country, 
and, with the approval of the government, could also provide emergency 
telecommunications services. 

The technology offered is amazingly affordable, with Tan quoting a highly 
competitive price for a package of a small number of Mesh-enabled devices, some 
cameras and other tools to start your own mobile Mesh network. 

Granted, these technology tools may not be the ultimate solution for facing 
all our problems, but with careful planning, it would be easier to manage and 
quickly respond to emergencies once they come around. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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