Earthquake In Java

I heard about the earthquake in Java (Indonesia) on the radio.  Then I received a SMS text message from a colleague who is there with a group of friends.  The text message reads: “We are all OK.  We felt it and it went on for sometime – rolling followed by a sudden jerk. There was some panic.” 

Fatimah, a resident of Kawalu, Tasikmalaya said that when the earthquake struck, it was initially very strong, but then stopped. She then felt it again a few minutes later. Press reports speak of buildings that swayed noticeably with a rolling motion, causing workers to pour out of their offices in a panic. There was also a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.

It was a 9.1-9.3 magnitude undersea earthquake that started a massive tsunami on Boxing Day in 2004, killing nearly a quarter of a million in 11 countries when waves up to 30 meters (approx 100 feet) high slammed into the landmasses of countries bordering the Indian Ocean. I remember receiving a SMS text message that Boxing Day from a former colleague who was working in Maldives at that time.  She spoke of heavy flooding all over Maldives, and of harrowing experience as waves drove boats charging into glass panels of her bank office much like a torpedo homing in on a target. Well she survived.

At the same time, another former colleague was holidaying in the Thai resort of Khao Lak in Phuket.  I met her just a couple of weeks earlier and she was looking forward to that holiday. Then the next thing I knew, her name appeared in the newspapers as missing in the tsunami that hit Thailand.  She did not make it.

So I was relieved that my friends are all safe in Java this time.  The quake is  of magnitude 7.  Early reports say that the death toll is 32 which is expected to grow. More than 700 houses were destroyed. There was an aftershock of 5.4 magnitude which struck 90 minutes later.  Indonesia sits in an area known as the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, and is prone to earthquakes. Since the December 2004 earthquake, Indonesia has experienced several earthquakes.  But this current one is somewhat unusual. Edison Gurning, spokesman for the Indonesian Meteorology Agency (BMKG), said: “It was a sudden earthquake, there was no warning.” 

Think about it.  How come science, with all its advances, just simply cannot tell when and where natural disasters will strike?  Animals on the other hand seems to have that natural instincts to warn them of impending natural disasters and to flee to safety. But science and men simply cannot even tell with certainty if a tsunami is being generated or not.  Witness the slew of false tsunami warnings in recent times.

Earlier post:

Earthquakes Increasing In Frequency