Base on World Risk Report (WRI), Indonesia is place as second country at the highest risk of disaster. One of factors is Indonesia’s geographic position in the Facific Ocean’s Ring of Fire which is at risk of earthquake, volcano eruption and tsunami. One of the big natural disaster in Indonesia is Palu tsunami 2018.
Tsunami Direction on Palu tsunami ruins in 2018
We can’t be sure when the disaster would occur, but we could make its prediction. We can’t reject it, but we can minimize its impact. Local knowledge can be a reference because our ancestors warned us that this disaster happened in their lives. The protection of coastal vegetation is a solution because God created mangrove forests as a natural barrier for life along the coast.
I witnessed the Palu disaster impacts. One week after the disaster, I was assigned to Palu to prepare posts and distribute aid.
It was not easy to get flight to Palu; I had to transit in Makassar for a long time. From Makassar, the flight schedule was still alternating between open and closed, and because a warning status. Although the flight schedule was uncertain, I finally arrived in Palu.
A my friend from Makassar was waiting outside the airport. He arrived in Palu one day earlier after a two-day trip from Makassar. He told me he was stopped several times by disaster victims who needed aid.
The condition of the suburbs of Palu City after one week of the 2018 tsunami disaster.
Palu Disaster Aftermath
From Palu Airport, we went to the Palu River. This area is an entertainment center that was destroyed by the tsunami. A crushed car was stuck in a building pillar; the strong tsunami currents bent the car’s chassis. According to the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management , the speed of the tsunami currents during palu tsunami 2018 reached 800 km/h, as fast as an Airbus A320 in flight.
From the Palu River estuary, we went to Talise Beach, which is a densely populated settlement in Palu. All the buildings were destroyed by the Palu tsunami 2018, but one Indonesian national flag was still standing firmly on Palu tsunami ruins. It reminded us that Indonesia is a strong country, tested by major disasters.
Palu tsunami disaster in 2018 was caused by an earthquake at the ocean floor of the Palu Gulf.
The scattered debris of buildings and cars after tsunami disaster swept Palu in 2018.
