Earthquake and Tsunami Wave
Sipora Island, N. Pagai Island, S.Pagai Island – Mentawai Islands District
West Sumatra
General Situation
A Tsunami wave, triggered by an earthquake swept through the Mentawai Islands District in West sumatra late Monday. Tsunami warning has been issued due to the 7.7 on RS earthquake (USGS) at 9:42:22 PM GMT+7, but withdrawn approximately 3.5 hours after. It turn out a three-metre (10 foot) Tsunami has swept South Pagai and North Pagai Island 10 minutes after the earthquake without a warning. The information regarding the wave were known to public after 17 hours.
The disaster, the biggest tidal wave since 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed at least 311 people with 410 still missing as of today, Oct 21, 18:10 PM.
The IDPs don’t have any shelter and choose to stay in hills. Children and elderlies have to survive without shelter.
Rapid responses were difficult as it take at least 6 hours using boat from the capital at Sipora Island. And on the first day, the high tides and strong waves made the trip from Siporat to Pagai took 12 hours. Electricity was down, communication was shut off.
Emergency phase was stated by provincial authority on disaster management (BPBD) to last 14 days.
Assessment
IBU has sent a team to do rapid assessment from Pariaman and Padang site office today, ETA on Pagai is tomorrow at noon.
The only way to visit South and South Pagai is through the sea, which would take at least 6 hours from Tuapejut, the capital that located in Sipora Island.
The tsunami has caused at least 311 people died, 410 missing. 77 were heavily wounded and 25 moderately wounded. 426 houses were severely damaged or lost and 200 others were moderately damaged. The survivors run to the hills and staying there. Mostly without any shelter, several others were staying in houses of the hills. There are approximately more than 4000 IDPs. The victims are mostly residents from several villages in four districts on Pagai and Sipora Islands: North and South Pagai, Sikapap and South Sipora. Details on the IDPs is still needed to find out.
South Pagai and North Pagai Islands, home to 23,000 people, are separated by a small strait as wide as a river and are divided into three districts with 10 villages. Sipora Island, located next to Pagai Island, is home of 14,000 people in two districts and 14 villages.
A tourist boat carrying 11 foreign surfers — eight Australians, one French, Brazilian and Italian — who were earlier reported missing in the disaster, arrived safely in Sikapap. The disaster also caused damage to the Macaronis surfing resort on North Pagai Island.
Emergency responsefrom BPBD, PMI, and several others took off on Tuesday night, and arrived at Pagai at Wednesday noon. The logistic are 3 platoon tents, 400 blankets, sarong, instant noodle, bottled water, snacks, 3 tons of rice, bread, 25 generators, 15 cooking stove, cooking equipment, and 3000 deadbody bags. But the logistic was felt not enough. More logistic help was coming in the afternoon on the second boat, but the details are unknows at the time of the writing.
Communication by cellular phone is impossible. The only good-enough communication is by conventional radio.
Need Assessment
As majority of the houses of the survivors were severely damaged (lost), the priority dor the IDPs are water, food, shelter, cloth including blanket. Other needs are sanitation facility, hygiene kit, family kit, medicine, dead body bag.
IBU Foundation Contact Person
M. Fauzi, +62 813 75568777, mfauzi@ibufoundation.or.id
dr. Endri Budiwan, +62 812 21605523, endri.budiwan@ibufoundation.or.id
Dadan Mulyana, +62 813 97222375, dmulyana@ibufoundation.or.id
