Islands still at risk of tsunami
THE warning system brought in after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami has fallen into disrepair, leaving Indian Ocean islands at risk of another disaster.
Early alert sensors around Indonesia have been broken or vandalised, warned Professor Bill Mcguire, an expert on geophysical and climate hazards.
More than £380,000 was spent on the protective tech after the tsunami that killed nearly 230,000 people.
But its poor condition means it may struggle to detect the next major event which “can literally go at any minute”.
Prof Mcguire said: “Since the tsunami there has been something like half a billion dollars spent on tsunami warning systems in the Indian Ocean. It became operational in 2007.
“One rather depressing thing is that the Indonesian element in particular has really suffered from vandalism and a lack of funding to maintain the pressure sensors on the sea bed that actually provide the warnings.
“There are 21 of these. I checked the other day and none
of them are working.” Prof Mcguire was appointed to a natural hazards working group in the aftermath of the tsunami by then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
He advised on the creation of an “international scientific taskforce” to identify risks and prevent future loss of life, but “sadly, nothing has happened”.
He points out that in 2004 there wasn’t the infrastructure or time to warn the people of Indonesia of the tsunami – and the situation is no better now.
Prof Mcguire added: “The Sunda megathrust [the fault responsible for the 2004 quake] ruptured in its northern part, it hasn’t ruptured yet in the southern part. There’s a segment in this fault which can literally go at any minute. We’re still in a similar position to 20 years ago.”
Prof Mcguire was joined on BBC Radio 4’s The Reunion by Novia Liza, a university student in Aceh, a province at the northern tip of Sumatra. It saw waves as high as 100ft sweep over it, killing more than 100,000.
Novia lost seven members of her family, including her parents, grandmother and four siblings.
She recalled: “We saw a tidal wave. It’s really tall, it’s black, it’s dark. I thought it was a tornado and then my uncle saw the sky was so bright. He said: ‘No, that’s not wind. Just run, just run for your life’.
“I wanted to save my grandmother so I grabbed her. She is crying saying ‘just leave me’ and I saw the water. It hit me, and I felt like I lost my breath.”
Novia woke up four miles from her home and was being dragged into the ocean. She said it felt like “doomsday”.
Listen to the full interviews on BBC Radio 4 at 11am today