In a very sad and devastating tale of Mother Nature, 373 people have died from a Tsunami that struck Indonesia due to the Anak Krakatau volcano slipping into the ocean along the rim of the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra islands late this past Saturday. Buildings demolished, families devastated, and a country heartbroken. At least 1,459 people were injured and more than 600 homes, 60 shops, and 420 vessels damaged when the tsunami landed ashore, even wiping out a concert taking place from behind the stage.
According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the chief spokesman for the Indonesian disaster agency, they had no way of telling that a tsunami was coming because it was a plate of Volcanic rock that separated causing the Tsunami opposed to an earthquake that could’ve provided enough time to warn for a Tsunami. This came out of nowhere and caught the entire country off-guard, even though the Volcano has been erupting for months.
“The volcano is very close to the shoreline so … there wouldn’t be much time to warn because it’s close and the tsunamis can travel very fast. The lack of seismic activity that would accompany an earthquake was also significant,” said volcanologist Teresa Ubide from Queensland University. The volcano is also going through an active phase so the likelihood of another Tsunami is high and the whole country needs to be on alert.
The death toll is expected to rise as 128 people were still missing on Monday and over 1,600 people have been displaced from their homes. Kathy Mueller of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said aid workers were helping evacuate injured people, bringing in clean water and helping provide shelter. She also added that there is a risk of disease breaking out in the Tsunami zone, so they are also preparing for that. Aid workers should be around for a least a week more helping out as much as they can and reminding people to stay away from the coast. Truly a sad story and hopefully is a wake-up call for any of us that Mother Nature is stronger than any one of us and we need to always be prepared for the unexpected.
Check out the clips below via The Guardian.
