Earthquake rumors unnerve traumatized Bantul residents
Natuurverschijnselen
Earthquake rumors unnerve traumatized Bantul residents
Earthquake rumors unnerve traumatized Bantul residents
©Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Bantul, Yogyakarta
Rumors of a powerful earthquake and tsunami have rattled residents of Bantul, Yogyakarta, over the last several days.
The people of Bantul are particularly vulnerable to such rumors because of the devastation they experienced in last May's massive quake.
Since the rumors began spreading some residents have fled their homes, others are remaining awake 24 hours a day for fear a quake might hit.
"My son insisted on sleeping right next to the front door last night because of the rumor. He said it would be easier for us to get out of our house in case the rumor proved true," Sri Rejeki, 37, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Sri, a resident of Dodotan hamlet, Sumbermulyo village, said she and her son heard about the rumor from a neighbor, who claimed to have read an article about the predicted earthquake on the internet.
"I tried not to panic, but my son, who survived when our home collapsed last year, has been unable to stop himself from panicking," said Sri, talking about the second-year junior high school student.
Sri said a neighbor, a 70-year-old woman, had left her house earlier Wednesday because of the rumor.
"She is now staying at a relative's house in Sewon," said Sri, referring to an area several kilometers from the beach and about six kilometers from their village.
Singgir Kartana, 39, of Samen hamlet, also in Sumbermulyo village, said rumors of a major earthquake had been making the rounds since the anniversary on May 27 of last year's quake.
"I received a printed copy of a story about the rumored quake while attending the ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake last month, but I burned it because I was afraid it would cause panic among other villagers," he told the Post.
He said many villagers had been sleeping outdoors since hearing the rumor.
"Some people have also said they will spend the night in shelters they have made from bamboo," said Singgir.
Karti, 60, also a resident of Samen, said many of her neighbors had stopped going to the market, preferring to remain close to home in the event of an earthquake.
An official at Al-Aqrob Mosque in the hamlet, Ambyah Karti Pratomo, on Wednesday attempted to calm the villagers over the mosque's loudspeakers.
"I just wanted to remind the villagers that everything is in the hands of Allah. We never know what will happen. It's part of Allah's secrets. There is no need to panic. What is important is that we stay cautious and surrender everything to the hands of Allah."
Meanwhile, thousands of people fled their homes in panic on various coastal areas in East Nusa Tenggara after hoax text messages spread warning them that a tsunami will hit the region, journalists and officials said Wednesday.
"The possibility is that a tsunami may take place on June 7," said part of a short telephone text message (SMS) that is widely circulating in the province, local journalists said.
A check of several coastal districts in the province showed that thousands had left their homes on the coast in at least three districts to flee to higher grounds since Tuesday, they said.
In the Kodi subdistrict of West Sumba district, hundreds of people had fled away from the coast, the local subdistrict head, Bernard Pelle told AFP.
"Rumors are running strong in the district that a tsunami will strike the region on June 7," Pelle said.
The regional meteorology and geophysics office said that the SMS warning did not come from their office.
"Earthquakes and tsunami cannot be predicted and we have not issued such warning," office head Rivai Marulak told AFP.
However, most residents refused to return to their coastal home fearing if the rumor should come true, the journalist added.
©Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Bantul, Yogyakarta
Rumors of a powerful earthquake and tsunami have rattled residents of Bantul, Yogyakarta, over the last several days.
The people of Bantul are particularly vulnerable to such rumors because of the devastation they experienced in last May's massive quake.
Since the rumors began spreading some residents have fled their homes, others are remaining awake 24 hours a day for fear a quake might hit.
"My son insisted on sleeping right next to the front door last night because of the rumor. He said it would be easier for us to get out of our house in case the rumor proved true," Sri Rejeki, 37, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Sri, a resident of Dodotan hamlet, Sumbermulyo village, said she and her son heard about the rumor from a neighbor, who claimed to have read an article about the predicted earthquake on the internet.
"I tried not to panic, but my son, who survived when our home collapsed last year, has been unable to stop himself from panicking," said Sri, talking about the second-year junior high school student.
Sri said a neighbor, a 70-year-old woman, had left her house earlier Wednesday because of the rumor.
"She is now staying at a relative's house in Sewon," said Sri, referring to an area several kilometers from the beach and about six kilometers from their village.
Singgir Kartana, 39, of Samen hamlet, also in Sumbermulyo village, said rumors of a major earthquake had been making the rounds since the anniversary on May 27 of last year's quake.
"I received a printed copy of a story about the rumored quake while attending the ceremony to commemorate the first anniversary of the earthquake last month, but I burned it because I was afraid it would cause panic among other villagers," he told the Post.
He said many villagers had been sleeping outdoors since hearing the rumor.
"Some people have also said they will spend the night in shelters they have made from bamboo," said Singgir.
Karti, 60, also a resident of Samen, said many of her neighbors had stopped going to the market, preferring to remain close to home in the event of an earthquake.
An official at Al-Aqrob Mosque in the hamlet, Ambyah Karti Pratomo, on Wednesday attempted to calm the villagers over the mosque's loudspeakers.
"I just wanted to remind the villagers that everything is in the hands of Allah. We never know what will happen. It's part of Allah's secrets. There is no need to panic. What is important is that we stay cautious and surrender everything to the hands of Allah."
Meanwhile, thousands of people fled their homes in panic on various coastal areas in East Nusa Tenggara after hoax text messages spread warning them that a tsunami will hit the region, journalists and officials said Wednesday.
"The possibility is that a tsunami may take place on June 7," said part of a short telephone text message (SMS) that is widely circulating in the province, local journalists said.
A check of several coastal districts in the province showed that thousands had left their homes on the coast in at least three districts to flee to higher grounds since Tuesday, they said.
In the Kodi subdistrict of West Sumba district, hundreds of people had fled away from the coast, the local subdistrict head, Bernard Pelle told AFP.
"Rumors are running strong in the district that a tsunami will strike the region on June 7," Pelle said.
The regional meteorology and geophysics office said that the SMS warning did not come from their office.
"Earthquakes and tsunami cannot be predicted and we have not issued such warning," office head Rivai Marulak told AFP.
However, most residents refused to return to their coastal home fearing if the rumor should come true, the journalist added.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Rumors a devastating quake and tsunami might strike on June 7 and 15 have frightened Lampung fishermen and prompted residents living in coastal areas to evacuate their families.
The rumors have been circulating for the past three days and were prompted by reports from the CNN TV network.
The reports were then broadcast by local radio stations and daily newspapers.
Residents became more worried when a national TV station ran news tickers reporting coastal areas in Lampung -- especially those facing the Indian Ocean, such as South Lampung and Tanggamus regencies -- would be hit by five-meter-high tidal waves over the next few days.
"We're worried because our houses directly face the beach and because the tides have been high these past few days," said fisherman Amirudin from Gudang Agen village, Telukbetung, Bandarlampung.
"I was forced to take my wife and children to my relative's house in East Tanjungkarang, while I remain fishing at sea," he said on Friday.
The 45-year-old traditional fisherman said he had recently been too afraid to go out to sea because of the huge waves in Lampung waters.
But he said fishermen were ready to take risks because they had no other way to earn a living.
"If I don't go out to sea, what will my wife and children eat?
"We will still sail out to sea as long as there are no warnings from the government," he said.
But Amirudin said he had received a circular from the subdistrict office reminding people of the likelihood of tidal waves in coastal areas from June 15 to 16.
Head of the Lampung office Meteorology and Geophysical Agency (BMG) Bambang Setya Novanto urged Lampung residents not to panic but said he had not sent out any warnings.
According to BMG, CNN's earthquake and tsunami prediction for June 7 and 15 was baseless.
And Bambang denied his office had ever warned regional heads of the likelihood of a disaster on June 7 and 15.
He said his office had issued neither written nor verbal warnings.
He also said BMG had not sent text messages to regional leaders and that the local rumors were irresponsible.
"The rumors intended to cause chaos ... and the perpetrators wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to steal from people's homes once they had evacuated," he said.
South Lampung Regent Zulkifli Anwar urged residents not to panic because there was no proof the alert was valid.
Zulkifli said his regency had nine districts located along the coast of South Lampung -- Seragi, Ketapang, Penengahan, Rajabasa, Kalianda, Sidomulyo, Katibung, Punduhpidada and Padangcermin.
"We have put a disaster mitigation task force on 24-hour standby and trained coastal communities on disaster safety," Zulkifli said.
"We have to be prepared because South Lampung is near the sea and many mangrove forests, which act as a buffer against tides, are damaged," he said.
Director of Lampung's chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Mukri Friatna said the tsunami that struck Aceh and North Sumatra in 2004 had made people aware of the importance of mangrove forests.
"Many fishermen have started replanting mangrove trees now," Mukri said.
"However, it's the state officials who are less aware of it, which has been proved through their lack of response on the matter. Only the Tanggamus regency has begun replanting its coastal areas with mangrove.
© Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung
The rumors have been circulating for the past three days and were prompted by reports from the CNN TV network.
The reports were then broadcast by local radio stations and daily newspapers.
Residents became more worried when a national TV station ran news tickers reporting coastal areas in Lampung -- especially those facing the Indian Ocean, such as South Lampung and Tanggamus regencies -- would be hit by five-meter-high tidal waves over the next few days.
"We're worried because our houses directly face the beach and because the tides have been high these past few days," said fisherman Amirudin from Gudang Agen village, Telukbetung, Bandarlampung.
"I was forced to take my wife and children to my relative's house in East Tanjungkarang, while I remain fishing at sea," he said on Friday.
The 45-year-old traditional fisherman said he had recently been too afraid to go out to sea because of the huge waves in Lampung waters.
But he said fishermen were ready to take risks because they had no other way to earn a living.
"If I don't go out to sea, what will my wife and children eat?
"We will still sail out to sea as long as there are no warnings from the government," he said.
But Amirudin said he had received a circular from the subdistrict office reminding people of the likelihood of tidal waves in coastal areas from June 15 to 16.
Head of the Lampung office Meteorology and Geophysical Agency (BMG) Bambang Setya Novanto urged Lampung residents not to panic but said he had not sent out any warnings.
According to BMG, CNN's earthquake and tsunami prediction for June 7 and 15 was baseless.
And Bambang denied his office had ever warned regional heads of the likelihood of a disaster on June 7 and 15.
He said his office had issued neither written nor verbal warnings.
He also said BMG had not sent text messages to regional leaders and that the local rumors were irresponsible.
"The rumors intended to cause chaos ... and the perpetrators wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to steal from people's homes once they had evacuated," he said.
South Lampung Regent Zulkifli Anwar urged residents not to panic because there was no proof the alert was valid.
Zulkifli said his regency had nine districts located along the coast of South Lampung -- Seragi, Ketapang, Penengahan, Rajabasa, Kalianda, Sidomulyo, Katibung, Punduhpidada and Padangcermin.
"We have put a disaster mitigation task force on 24-hour standby and trained coastal communities on disaster safety," Zulkifli said.
"We have to be prepared because South Lampung is near the sea and many mangrove forests, which act as a buffer against tides, are damaged," he said.
Director of Lampung's chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Mukri Friatna said the tsunami that struck Aceh and North Sumatra in 2004 had made people aware of the importance of mangrove forests.
"Many fishermen have started replanting mangrove trees now," Mukri said.
"However, it's the state officials who are less aware of it, which has been proved through their lack of response on the matter. Only the Tanggamus regency has begun replanting its coastal areas with mangrove.
© Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung
Every cloud has a silver lining
