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Indonesia: Tsunami - Dec 2018

Status
Past
Countries
Indonesia
Disaster types
Tsunami

High tide/tsunami hit Carita Beach in Banten Province, and hit the coast around the Sunda Strait, especially in Pandenglang, South Lampung and Serang districts on 22 December 2018 at 21:27hrs. With height of 30-90 cm, the event has produced 168 fatalities, 745 injured, 30 missing, 558 houses damaged, 9 hotel units damaged, 60 damaged food stalls, 350 boats damaged. (IFRC, 23 Dec 2018)

As of 24 December 2018, at 07:00 local time, the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has confirmed that 281 people have been killed, 1,016 people are injured, and 57 people remain missing. An estimated 11,700 people are reportedly displaced. The tsunami has also damaged 611 houses, 69 hotel and villas, 60 shops, and 420 vessels. These figures are expected to increase as the government’s assessment continues. BNPB, together with the military, police, the National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS), local government, Ministry of Social Affairs Volunteers (TAGANA), Indonesian Red Cross (PMI), volunteers and the community are providing immediate assistance to those affected. The Government of Indonesia has not requested international assistance in responding to the situation. (OCHA 24 Dec 2018)

According to the latest report from BNPB, 430 people have died, 148 people remain missing and a further 1,485 people have sustained injuries, while more than 16,000 people have still been displaced. The BNPB, Indonesian Army, various local government bodies and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) are leading the response operations. Evacuation, search and rescue of victims continue. Joint forces with volunteers and the community began to clean the environment from the tsunami debris. The volcanic activity is still ongoing, namely in the form of Strombolian eruptions accompanied by throws of incandescent lava and hot clouds. For this reason the authorities have upgraded the volcano status to Alert level (Level 3, second highest level), with the danger zone extended to 5 km. Dominant winds lead to the south-west so that volcanic ash spreads south-west to the sea. Heavy rain made search and rescue operations more difficult. More than 1,650 people of Banten province, who had been hit by the tsunami, have been affected by the floods caused by Cikalumpang River overflowing its banks on 26 December. (ECHO, 27 Dec 2018)

As of 28 December 2018, the number of people displaced by Sunda Strait tsunami has increased to 40,386. The total number of fatalities now stands at 426, with the number of injured increasing to 7,202 people. Approximately 1,300 houses have been damaged in the affected areas. The Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a high tide warning, with potential high tides of 2.5-4 metres in the southern parts of the Sunda Strait. The warning was in effect until 31 December 2018, with no reports of any impact from the high tide. (OCHA, 31 Dec 2018)