Acehtsunami

Earthquakes and tsunamis might continue to threaten residents living along the country’s coastal areas with experts warning that the two disasters are going through a cycle this year.Tsunami researcher Rahman Hidayat of the Coastal Dynamic Analysis Body at the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) said earthquake-triggered tsunamis were going through a cycle this year.He pointed to Sumatra’s west coast, especially Mentawai Islands regency, as the location which requires the most attention.The west coast of Sumatra, he said, has two earthquake-prone zones, which have entered a 200-240 year cycle; the last cycle of earthquakes and tsunamis occurred there between 1797 and 1833.In the past five years, he said his office and the Southern California University had worked together with world research institutions to give the quake-prone areas more attention.

They also jointly conducted research on possible major earthquakes, the epicenters of which, they predicted, are likely to be on Sumatra’s west coast.”"It turned out the quake that struck Bengkulu was located only some 200 kilometers north of the location we predicted,”" he said.He also warned residents living in other regions, such as Banggai in South Sulawesi — a region which also has a history marked by massive earthquakes and tsunamis — and areas from Pacitan to Banyuwangi in East Java.”"The threat is serious and might be more dangerous (than previous disasters). This year (could be) the time when Indonesia experiences more earthquakes and tsunamis,”" Rahman said.He said another tsunami researcher, Lorry Dongler of Humbold University in the U.S., has also raised similar concerns about the earthquake and tsunami cycle in the country.