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UPDATE as of 3 January 2019
Source: OCHA Indonesia
1. Anak Krakatau volcano erupted again on 3 January 2019 at 10:17 a.m. local time following a period of relative calm since 28 December 2018. The eruption sent thick, gray ash column 2,000 m above the summit that blew to the north and northeast. Seismogram recorded a maximum amplitude of 22 mm and a duration of about 2 minutes and 8 seconds. The status of the volcano remains at alert level III with an exclusion zone of 5-km radium from the crater peak still in effect. (Note: Alert level III indicates significant increase in volcanic activity and that eruptions are most likely to occur.)
2. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has begun installing wave and climate monitoring sensors around Anak Krakatau for tsunami early warning. The equipment measures wave height of up to 10 m and monitors the weather around the volcano, then transmits the information directly to BMKG Jakarta, the Disaster Management Agency at sub-national level (BPBD), and local police headquarters.
3. President Joko Widodo visited the tsunami-affected people in Rajabasa and Kalianda sub-districts in Lampung Selatan District, Lampung Province, on 2 January. He stated that the Government will accelerate the relocation of the affected people to safer locations so that the process will be completed within three months, according to the media. The President plans to visit Sukabumi District in West Java on 3 January to meet with the people affected by the landslides of 31 December.
4. Thousands of evacuees returned home over the last few days as the volcanic activities decreased. The number of displaced people declined to 33,719 people, according to the latest National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) report of 31 December at 1:30 p.m. About half of the 20,726 IDPs in Pandeglang District in Banten Province will likely remain displaced for some time since their houses have been damaged. For the remainder of the IDPs in Pandeglang whose homes remain intact, the local government will assist their return in the coming days. For this purpose, the Head of Police in Banten Province has requested the Head of BMKG to review the warning for the people to stay at least 1 km from the coast in areas affected by the tsunami.
5. There are 41 schools in 11 sub-districts in Pandeglang in which 11,375 IDPs have taken shelter. These people will need to move to alternative housing to allow the second semester of the 2018-2019 school year to begin on 7 January as scheduled. The authorities have surveyed several locations for the construction of temporary shelters.
6. In Banten and Lampung Province, markets and shops are starting to open. Although, sporadic rains with moderate intensity continue in the affected areas, floods in Labuan village have receded and residents have resumed their usual daily activities.
7. Rains and warnings for the people to stay away from coastal areas have complicated relief efforts. The main challenge for the responders is camp management - the IDPs return home during the day to repair their houses, then return to the evacuation sites at night for safety.
8. The Ministry of Social Affairs, which has provided Rp.3 billion (US$214,000) in aid so far, is operating 15 public kitchens in Banten and eight in Lampung. Public kitchens serve 3,000 meals per day, a total of 69,000 meals served by all of the public kitchens combined. The Joint Needs Assessment, led by the Ministry, has completed data collection in Pandeglang and Sumur on 3 January and preliminary results are expected on 4 January.
9. Overall, 146 local organizations and institutions have provided cash contributions of around Rp.1.7 billion ($115,000) and 334 supporters have given in-kind assistance such as food, clothing, medicines, blankets, and toiletries. Psychosocial services are being provided. Communication networks for XL and Telkomsel have been restored.
10. BNPB and BPBD provide regular updates on the emergency response operation. Further information can be found at the BNPB website (https://www.bnpb.go.id/berita) and by following BNPB’s spokesperson on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Sutopo_PN). Latest updates on high wave warnings are available at https://www.maritim.bmkg.go.id and information on the volcano at https://www.bmkg.go.id. BNPB also provides a web geoportal that can be accessed at gis.bnpb.go.id and maintains a repository of the information compiled from multi-stakeholders at https://drive.bnpb.go.id/index.php/s/J6bLGCjXST4foqN?path=%2FLaporan%20Situasi. The AHA Centre is also issuing Flash Updates (https://ahacentre.org/situation-updates/). | |
| BNPB has announced on 25 December 2018 that the Sunda Strait Tsunami is a district-level disaster, which is well within the capacity of the local authorities to respond. |
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