Information bulletin / South Asia: Earthquake / tsunami

Information Bulletin n° MDRID007 GLIDE n° TS-2012-000053-IDN 11 April 2012

This bulletin is being issued for information only, and reflects the current situation and details available at this time. The Indonesian Red Cross Society (Palang Merah Indonesia or PMI), with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), has determined that external assistance is not required, and is therefore not seeking funding or other assistance from donors at this time.

Summary: Two large earthquakes occurred off the coast of Indonesia today (11 April 2012). The first occurred at 15.38 local time with a magnitude of 8.6 and a depth of 33 kms, with the epicentre some 430km off shore from Banda , Indonesia. The second large quake with a magnitude of 8.2 occurred about two hours later. The nearby affected areas in the Aceh Sea include Island Aceh, North Sumatera, Lampung and West Sumbar. Fourteen major aftershocks (5.0 – 8.2) were recorded within four hours of the first earthquake. The power of the first earthquake was estimated by seismologists as being around half (50%) of the magnitude of the 2004 quake that triggered the tsunami. In this instance the slip/strike nature of the fault line meant that most of the movement was horizontal rather than vertical, suggesting that the risk of a major tsunami being generated was low. Given the initial concerns however, the Indian Ocean- wide tsunami alert was put in place within minutes, with many states initiating evacuation procedures in coastal areas. The tsunami watch was subsequently cancelled based on feedback from the Indian Ocean tsunami warning system and subsequent the low risk.

Based on the initial damage assessments carried out by the PMI there is limited or no damage reported and no casualties at this time.

The situation Two large earthquakes occurred off the coast of Indonesia today (11 April 2012). The first was at 15.38 local time with a magnitude of 8.6 and a depth of 33 kms, with the epicentre some 430km off shore from , Indonesia. The second occurred about two hours later and had a recorded magnitude of 8.2. Reports indicate that the first large quake struck about 434 kilometers southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia's Aceh province at a depth of 33 kilometers. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami watch for the entire Indian Ocean, and the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency issued a tsunami warning. The areas considered most at risk of a tsunami are the coastal areas of Aceh, particularly the island of Simeulue. Initial concerns that waves could reach as high as 6 meters proved unfounded as subsequent information discounted the threat of a massive tsunami.

In Banda Aceh power lines were reportedly down and residents were moving to higher ground according to the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency. Damage assessments are reportedly underway, and the authorities in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands have ordered people to move out of low-lying areas.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action

PMI and IFRC teams on the Indian Ocean rim (Asia, Pacific and Africa) were put on full alert within minutes of the earthquake and the PMI Aceh branch deployed their team to monitor the water level at the coast and also the impact of the tremor and undertake efforts to calm the local population in Banda Aceh who were in a state of panic and had come out from their homes. PMI West Sumatra has deployed their ambulance team together with the First Aid team in Padang City. PMI Lampung also has been put on standby.

While the threat of a tsunami has been lifted by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre, in Indonesia priority areas that continue to be of concern for PMI are Simeulue Island, Banda Aceh, coastal Aceh Besar, Calang, Teunom and Lamno; in North Sumatra: Sibolga and Nias; in West Sumatra: Pesisir Selatan and Mentawai. PMI branches in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Bengkulu and Lampung have deployed their volunteers to do initial assessment and collect information regarding damage and casualties in respective areas as required.

Despite the limited contact with PMI colleagues in Banda Aceh due to communications and power outages, initial reports suggest around 3 minutes of tremors with no visible infrastructure damage, minor (and as yet unverified) reports of casualties. IFRC’s Head of Delegation in Jakarta, Indonesia, speaking on CNN, noted some unverified local reports that waves coming ashore along the coast of Sumatra – but that there were no reports of casualties or major damage to infrastructure, however likely needs to provide psycho-social support.

Reports arriving from the area indicate that there appears to be no significant damage or casualties attributable to the earthquake at this time. The fourteen recorded aftershocks have kept the evacuated population wary of returning to their homes, and it is anticipated that those evacuated from the coastal areas will not return to their homes until tomorrow morning. On a longer-term basis term there may be a need for psycho-social support (PSS) teams to act as there was major panic and obvious psychological trauma in Banda Aceh and nearby areas.

Given the wide ranging geographic impact and experience from the 2004 tsunami, the IFRC provided early warning information to the following countries and / or National Societies under tsunami watch: across Asia in Australia, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore Sri Lanka and Thailand, while in Africa Mauritius, Reunion, Seychelles, Somalia, Madagascar, Comoros, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

Contact information For further information specifically related to this operation, please contact: IFRC Indonesia country office: · Phillip Charlesworth, Indonesia Head of Country office: mobile: +62 811 824 859, phone: +62 21 7279 3440; +62 21 7279 3446; email: [email protected] · Wayne Ulrich, Head of Operations: mobile: +62 811 826 614, phone: +62 21 7279 3440; fax: +62 21 7279 3446; email: [email protected]

IFRC Asia Pacific zone office, Kuala Lumpur: · Al Panico, acting Head of Operations; email: [email protected] · Heikki Väätämöinen, Operations Coordinator: phone: +603 9207 5729; mobile: +60 12 2307895; email: [email protected] · Alan Bradbury, Head of Resource Mobilization and PMER: phone: +603 9207 5775; fax: +603 2161 0670, email: [email protected]

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