Emergency Alert: Deadly Tsunami Strikes Indonesia

Devastation in Sulawesi, Indonesia, is pictured on October 12, 2018. Responding in the area are members of the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center, which has been conducting search and rescue in the days since the earthquake and tsunami struck, as well as medical outreach, shelter care and food distribution. Direct Relief is supporting MDMC with funding to continue their critical work in the region as recovery begins. (Photo courtesy of Gordon Willcock)

By Gordon Willcock

December 23, 2018

A deadly tsunami struck in the vicinity of the Sunda Straight on Saturday, impacting the islands of Sumatra and Java, Indonesia.

Indonesia’s disaster management agency, the BNPB, is reporting that at least 222 people have been killed and hundreds more have been injured. Preliminary assessments are still being completed and some areas are yet to be reached, so it is likely that the death and injury toll will rise.

Unlike most earthquake-triggered tsunamis, this disaster is thought to have been caused by an undersea landslide as a result of ongoing volcanic activity at Anak Krakatoa.

Indonesia has already been struck by multiple major earthquakes this year and recovery efforts are ongoing in those areas.

Collapsed buildings and infrastructure reveal the devastation caused by the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Lombok on August 5, 2018. Direct Relief staff visited the area days after the quake to assess the situation and offer support to local partners responding to those in need. (Gordon Wilcock/Direct Relief)

The Lombok earthquake killed more than 600 and the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami left more than 2100 dead and many more injured.

The Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre (MDMC), Direct Relief’s long-time local partner, already has teams working on the ground in Banten and Lampung.

In addition to coordinating with MDMC, Direct Relief emergency response staff are in contact with the ASEAN Coordination Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Centre) and Bumi Sehat, and will continue to monitor the situation as it develops in the next 48 hours.