BEING PREPARED
Indonesia better able to deal with disasters 20 years after devastating tsunami
When Ahmadi, a resident of the Indonesian island of Simeulue, sings a lullaby to his 1-year-old grandson, the song is not one about fairies and angels but rather about the precautions to take for a potential tsunami.
The lyrics include references to an earthquake, a massive wave, and land submerged under water.
"When there is an earthquake and a tsunami, you are in panic, you cannot be expected to think. This is why the emergency drill must be ingrained and be second nature. This has to start from an early age," Ahmadi said as quoted by UN News.
Tsunami-hit nations began commemorating the victims, about 220,000 people, who perished on Dec 26, 2004, after a 9.3-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western tip generated a series of massive waves that devastated coastlines from Indonesia and Thailand to Sri Lanka and Somalia.
Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone areas. The archipelago nation lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", where tectonic plates collide and many of the world's volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur.
UNESCO experts say the world is much safer today from the threat of tsunamis due to early warning systems that were lacking in 2004.
But the agency has also warned coastal communities to stay alert.
"While we have made significant strides, the nature of this hazard requires us to remain vigilant," said Vidar Helgesen, executive secretary of UNESCO's intergovernmental oceanographic commission.
Knowing the drill
Hundreds of Indonesians fled for higher ground in November as they ran through disaster drills in the region worst hit by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami ahead of its 20th anniversary.
Children ran down the stairs in a rush for safety from the second floor of a school near Aceh's provincial capital Banda Aceh, where more than 60,000 were killed in the tsunami.
As school bells rang, dozens of children ran to the road covering their heads, following marked escape routes as volunteers shouted "evacuate".
"With exercises, we can prevent, rather than cure," said 34-year-old participant and local village official Rizky Firmansyah.
"It's better like that I think, because it's better for us to anticipate than to have things that we don't want to happen."
Indonesia's meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency also took part in the exercises meant to test operating procedures, communications and evacuation preparedness.
Agencies via Xinhua
