Asia and Oceania

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• Natural disasters
• General
 

Natural disasters

Indonesia sits along a volatile seismic strip called the 'Ring of Fire' in the Pacific.  Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur regularly in Indonesia which can, where the severity and conditions of the quake combine, present a potential threat of tsunamis within the region.  The 'ring-of-fire' is a horse-shoe-shaped zone of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that surrounds the basin of the Pacific Ocean.  It is 40,000kms long and is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, island arcs, and volcanic mountain ranges and/or plate movements.

It is understood that 90% of the world's earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire which is a direct consequence of plate tectonics and the movement of collisions of crustal plates

Earthquakes

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale occurred off West Sumatra Province, 30 miles offshore from the city of Padang on 30 September 2009.  On 1 October an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale occurred in Jambi Province (approximately 200 km south of Padang).   There has been substantial damage to infrastructure in the Padang area including government buildings, hotels, hospitals and telephone links.

The Indonesian Meteorological and Geophysics Office reported an earthquake measuring approximately 7.4 on the Richter scale at 14.55 (0855 BST) on 2 September 2009. The epicentre was in the Indonesian Sea, south of the island of Java, and 140 kilometres south-west of Tasikmalaya.  Media reports indicate that the earthquake has caused fatalities and a number of people have been injured throughout the area affected. The other areas most seriously affected were Garut, Ciamis, Cianjur, West Bandung, Bandung, Sukabumi, Kuningan and Cimahi.  There has been extensive damage to infrastructure, including buildings, in these districts.

Visitors currently planning to visit West Papua Province (formerly West Irian Jaya Province) should be aware that earthquakes which occurred on Sunday 4 January 2009, have caused considerable damage to buildings including hotels in the coastal town of Manokwari, some damage to the airport was also reported.  If planning a visit to this region you should check with your tour operator before travelling.

On 16 November 2008 an earthquake struck Gorontalo Province off the northern coast of the island of Sulawesi causing fatalities and structural damage to a number of buildings, and on 12 September 2007 an earthquake in Southern Sumatra resulted in a number of fatalities.

The 26 December 2004 earthquake and tsunami caused massive devastation to coastal areas in Aceh and parts of North Sumatra.

Floods

Flash floods and more widespread flooding occur regularly during the rainy season from November to March. Cities - especially Jakarta - are frequently subject to severe localised flooding which can result in major disruption, and occasionally fatalities.  The collapse of the dam at Lake Situ Gintung on the outskirts of Jakarta on 27 March resulted in the death of 98 people, over a hundred missing and many hundreds of people homeless.  Landslides occur in rural areas during the wet season. In December 2007, landslides in Central Java killed over 80 people.

Volcanoes

There are numerous volcanoes in Indonesia, any of which can erupt without warning. Since April 2008 Mount Soputan in North Sulawesi, Mount Egon on Flores Island, Nusa Tengarra, Mount Ibu in North Maluku and Anak Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait have shown significant increased volcanic activity.

On Monday 20 April 2009 the Indonesian Vulcanology Agency raised the alert status of Anak Krakatoa to “Warning – eruption possible within two weeks”. Local people have been advised to remain outside of a three-kilometre exclusion zone.  On 2 June 2009, Mount Karangetang (North Sulawesi) erupted, forcing the evacuation of villagers in the area.  If you are planning to visit these areas you should monitor local media reports and follow advice of the local authorities.

You are advised to exercise caution, check news reports and follow local advice before travelling to volcanic areas.  The capacity of the Indonesian emergency and rescue services to deal with large natural disasters is limited.

On 14 July 2007 poisonous fumes from Salak Volcano, just south of Jakarta killed six school children who were camping on the Volcano.

For further information, you should visit the Indonesian Centre for Vulcanology's website.