Mentawai Tsunami: How to avoid a new disaster?

The main problem in the Mentawai rescue operations is now the total lack of communication and a very bad weather.

The 25 October, a tsunami strike the west coasts of the islands of Pagai and Sipora, in the Mentawai Archipelago, severely damaging or destroying about 30 villages , two surf resorts and one surf charter boat. Rescue teams and survivors have collected 500 bodies as far as now but the number of casualties in isolated villages is difficult to established, as there are no roads, phone and satellite or radio communication.
A rough sea and strong winds make access by boat to these villages very difficult. Two vessels of the Indonesian Navy and the PELNI lines have delivered tons of reliefs to the only harbor in the area: Sikakap, but this help can hardly be distributed to the remote villages. Some Indonesian Army helicopters assist in dropping boxes of food above the most isolated hamlets, scattered along 150 kilometers of shores. However a lack of small boats able to reach these shallow waters and beach right in front of the villages considerably slower the rescue efforts.
This is where the surfers can really help, with their small vessels able to approach the shores and their in-depth knowledge of the location of each village. The AKSSB, the Mentawai Surf Charter Boats Association is active in this field and has sent 3 small vessels.
A ship chartered by the American surfer Matt Georges (Last Mile Operation) has left Padang, loaded with food and medical supplies and is on-site, anchoring in front of the most isolated hamlets.

No tsunami warning?

There have been rumors on the Internet that the Indonesian tsunami warning system had not been operational and failed to protect the populations. This does not seem exact. A warning has been broadcasted by the national TV stations about 10 minutes after the earthquake. But it was already too late for the populations of South Pagai, located at less than 60 kilometers from the epicenter: the wave was already reaching them.

Preparing the future

The real difficulty to relay tsunami warnings is that most of the Mentawai coastal villages do not have electrical power, phone land lines, cell phone coverage, SSB radio or satellite phone. They do have some rare TV with satellite dishes running on small generators, usually inside the local grocery.
The most convenient way to transmit a tsunami warning to these populations would be to use the radio broadcasts frequencies they listen to daily, using small battery powered radios: the Mentawai speaking broadcast stations based in Padang, West Sumatra.
Siloinak Surf Resort is now planning to approach these stations, offering them a financial help to establish a permanent and protected communication channel with the Indonesian tsunami warning agencies.
Moreover, the distribution of free solar powered radios to each village-head in the Mentawai could be a good way to enhance the security of the area, allowing the villagers to permanently let the radio on without having to buy costly batteries.
Ideally, each of these villages should also be equipped with a solar powered Indonesian satellite phone PASTI, the rates of which are affordable even to poor fishermen. These phones, which are sold at a reasonable price, would be given free in order to alleviate the isolation of the Mentawai villages. They would be used daily, being operated by the local grocery, church or village-head and would therefore be taken care of by this operator. They could be used as an advanced warning system managed by the populations themselves.

Relocating the villages?

Another immediate solution to increase the safety of the population would be to finance the construction by the villagers themselves of a communal house, called Uma, which would be used for ceremonies, social gatherings, marriages, communal debates… and as a ready-made shelter in case of tsunami.
These Uma would be located at a minimum of 20 meters above sea level or, if not possible, at least at 1000 meters from sea shores in a way to be out of reach of most tsunamis. Built using the traditional Mentawai architecture and materials, such long houses can sustain a 8 Richter earthquake at epicenter, and offer a very safe shelter for the populations of the villages after a tsunami. They would also help in reviving the cultural structures of the Mentawai population.
Such Uma would cost only 5000 USD each, for a 20 meters x 7 meters longhouse and be able to shelter about 100 persons at 1,5 meters to 2 meters above the ground. A prototype of such long houses can be seen at Siloinak Mentawai Surf Resort, where it is used as a restaurant.
However, the radical solution would be to relocate all the fishermen villages at a minimum of 20 meters above sea level or, where not possible, at least at 1000 meters from sea shores. This would still allow their professional activities and spare lots of lives in the future.

And helping now

Siloinak Mentawai Surf Resort is gathering donations to continue its efforts to buy and distribute reliefs in the most isolated villages not yet reached by the main rescue organizations. This is why we send this request for donations. You can send yours by bank transfer to :
Mandiri Bank
SWIFT code : BMRIIDJA
Address : KC Padang Lapangan Imam Bonjo, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Account Name : Bordessoule Gilles
Account Number : 111-00-0445103-1

These monies will be used exclusively for the purchase and delivery of goods given to the Mentawai people. You can learn more about Siloinak Mentawai Surf Resort and the sustainable development actions we have organized in the Mentawai on www.mentawaiadventure.com . Reports and accounts concerning this operation will be published in www.mentawaiadventure.com , « Sustainable Development » pages.
If you had other proposals for helping the Mentawai people, please contact us at info at mentawaiadventure.com. The reconstruction will last several months.

Gilles and Novie Bordessoule.

Siloinak Surf Resort provides surf packages all year round, established in the Mentawai islands on a private island.
Siloinak Surf Resort offers 12 bungalows, each one with its own access to the beach. Wifi, video projector and business center...

Jl. Rawang, 28
PADANG 25111
West Sumatra
Indonesia

This release was published on openPR.