Padang (ANTARA News) - Most residents of West Sumatra`s coastal areas continue to worry about a more powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the days ahead following the recording of at least 16 tremors this month.
Joni, a resident of Mentawai Islands district, said on Wednesday, people on the islands continued to worry about an imminent earthquake because the epicenters of past temblors were mostly located near the islands.
He said the anxiety of the people there was worsened by local media reports that a powerful earthquake measuring 8.5 on the Richter scale was predicted to strike West Sumatran coastal areas next December.
"The people are getting more anxious following media reports that a powerful earthquake will occur in late December this year," Joni said.
Meanwhile, Siberut Selatan sub district head Paulinus said he had tried to obtain accurate information about the local media reports by asking the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) but none of them said for sure that the feared earthquake would really happen in late December.
"However, we continue to ask the people to remain alert but not necessarily to be in deep anxiety," Paulinus said, adding that nevertheless various preparations had been made to anticipate the earthquake because the Mentawai islands are quake-prone.
In Bengkulu province, authorities at provincial, regional and municipal levels had begun taking steps to prepare the public for a powerful earthquake and tsunami predicted to happen in December by Brazilian earthquake observer Prof Jucelino Nobrega da Luz.
"We expect all districts and municipalities in Bengkulu province to take all steps necessary to prepare the people for the earthquake and tsunami. We at provincial administration level will provide whatever assistance they need," Bengkulu Governor Agusrin Maryono Najamuddin said after a coordination meeting recently.
At the meeting attended also by Bengkulu province`s police chief, Brig Gen Soedibyo, military commander, Brig Gen Amril Amir, and Bengkulu City Mayor Ahmad Kanedi it was agreed the provincial administration would provide 5,000-watt power generators, bathing, washing, toilet and other facilities in a number of designated avacuation areas.
No comments:
Post a Comment