Tsunami's

Tsunami's are a hazard for Indonesia due to the frequent earthquakes. Indonesia was victim to one of the most devastating tsunamis to date.  On December 26, 2004 a 9.1 magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami which tore through costal cities of 15 countries within the region. Indonesia was the most affected country, the epicenter of the earthquake was near the province of Aceh which belongs to the island of Sumatra. Aceh bore the brunt of the damage, facing waves as high as 167ft devastating it's communities, the runup stretching 3 miles inland. The total of dead or missing people in Aceh reached 167,000. Indonesia has experienced serval tsunamis since then.

As a result of the tsunami, in 2005 the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) was established by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The IOTWMS provides risk assessment and early warning capabilities, and awareness programs, with 27 tsunami warning centers to issue alerts after seismic events. The IOC also launched a Tsunami Ready Recognition Program in 2008 to push the importance of preparedness. In Indonesia  a siren system has been implemented to warn citizens of a possible tsunami. In schools mandatory earthquake and tsunami preparedness drills are performed regularly in every grade. Other measures include building temporary evacuation shelters, educating the public by identifying evacuation zones and planning evacuation routes. Tsunami evacuation signs have been put up in at risk coastal areas. Work to restore natural mitigations are being suggested such as coral reefs and mangrove forests.  Other efforts suggested included structures such as parking garages with wide stair cases and the capacity to hold large amount of people on the top floors. 


Indonesia has a long history of tsunamis. In a cave in Aceh scientists have found evidence of past tsunamis based on layers of soil in the cave. By digging a hole they were able to identify when a tsunami had flushed into the cave based on thick lines in the soil were large amounts of sediment  had washed into the cave. Based on their findings they deduced that about 11 tsunamis had occurred in the area over the last 8,000 years. 




Sources: 
https://www.uvu.edu/global/docs/wim22/sdg3/sdg3-chad.pdf 
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/10/1155616 
https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/12/1158556 
https://www.britannica.com/event/Indian-Ocean-tsunami-of-2004 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52v7egVAYEc


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