Indonesia counts the cost of a late response

The extent of loss of life and destruction caused by a double earthquake and tsunami on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi will become clearer on Tuesday as authorities and rescuers reach inaccessible areas affected by Damaged infrastructure.

Authorities tentatively set the death toll at 844 on Tuesday, a figure based largely on the destruction in the capital Palu. Reports indicate that this figure will likely increase dramatically as rescuers reach outlying areas of the islands, including communities closer to the epicenter of the magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Friday.

The authorities have expressed concern that entire communities have been washed away by a tsunami, a dramatic video footage taken by residents showing accidents in the coastal areas of the capital, Palu. The deadly wave devastated the infrastructure, leaving the affected areas without electricity or fuel.

On Tuesday, nearly 60,000 people were displaced and in need of emergency assistance, while thousands of people fled the quake zones, Reuters reported.

Also on Tuesday, some of the dead were taken to a mass grave for burial. "Suffering for the people of central Sulawesi, we all cry together," President Joko Widodo said on Twitter on Twitter. Vice President Jusuf Kalla had said earlier that the death toll could rise to "thousands".

Rescuers are expected to reach Donggala, an area of ​​300,000 residents north of Palu near the epicenter of the earthquake today, as well as two other districts cut off from communications since Friday, agencies said. Districts have a combined population of 1.4 million, according to reports.

"The situation in the affected areas [Donggala] Jan Gelfand, head of an office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Jakarta, said in a statement.

"The city of Palu has been devastated and the first reports from Donggala indicate that it has also been hit extremely hard."

As rescuers strive to locate and assist survivors, the Widodo government is striving to respond promptly and competently to growing questions about its inability to warn residents of the approaching tsunami.

News agencies reported that dozens of people were stuck in the rubble of several hotels and a shopping center in Palu. On Monday, Widodo told reporters that rescuing the trapped people was a priority.

"The evacuation is not over yet, there are many places where the evacuation could not be carried out because of the lack of heavy equipment, but last night, the material began to arrive," Widodo told reporters. He added that the government is sending "as much food as possible" by military transport aircraft from the national capital.

On Tuesday, a navy vessel capable of accommodating 1,000 people at a time was to be deployed to assist with the evacuation. The state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has begun to distribute diesel fuel to crucial facilities such as hospitals and the PLN electricity company, as well as to search and rescue operations in Palu and Donggala. , reported the Jakarta Post.

But difficult questions arise, in particular, about why the meteorological and geophysical agency, known as BMKG, issued a tsunami alert shortly after the earthquake, but lifted it 34 minutes later. Authorities said the tsunami warning was still in effect when the deadly wave hit coastal areas.

Videos of the striking Palu wave, filmed by high-rise apartment dwellers, showed seemingly unconscious people on the beach and at the edge of the beach as the mass surge approached. 39; water.

The tsunami of 26 December 2004, caused by an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, killed 120,000 people in Indonesia, mainly in the northern province of Aceh. The lack of early warning systems contributed to the high number of victims of this disaster.

Other crucial questions are why the warning systems put in place as a result of this disaster do not seem to have warned citizens on Friday. Nugroho, NDMA, told reporters that none of the tsunami wave detection buoys had been operational since 2012 due to lack of funding.

The Widodo government is trying to look more reactive after the disaster, with mixed results so far. On Sunday, the president visited a housing complex destroyed by the earthquake, while calling the survivors to "patience", as help began to flow into the affected areas still shaken by aftershocks.

"I know that many issues need to be resolved in a short time, including communications," he said. He assured the residents that the ruins would be rebuilt, according to information.

The Jakarta Post said in a commentary that, although the disaster authorities reported that public awareness campaigns for natural disasters had been going on for years, including in central Sulawesi, it was evident that the buildings were easily accessible. collapsed when rulers and town planners did not set up buildings to test earthquakes. codes and standards.

At the same time, it is feared that the consequences of the disaster will become an anomie in the face of increasing reports of widespread looting, including videos posted on social media.

Television footage showed dozens of residents shouting "we are hungry, we need food" while soldiers were distributing rations of a truck in a neighborhood, while images from elsewhere were showing people making clothes and other items in a destroyed mall, Reuters reported.

Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said he had ordered the authorities to help people get food and drink, and that companies plundered would be compensated. The apparent apparent looting appears to be a problem for local retailers who claim that at least 40 damaged outlets have been affected.

"We are concerned about the arrogance of the government that allows people to loot goods at retail outlets in Palu and Donggala, [first] coordinating with their owners or management, or with the association, "said Roy Nicholas Mandey, president of the Indonesian Retailers Association, according to local reports.

The residents also reportedly stole petrol from the oil and gas giant Pertamina's trucks, according to reports. Tjahjo has since denied having made any statement that would condone looting as a means of distributing property to affected populations.

On Monday, a witness quoted by Reuters said that queues at the petrol stations on the outskirts of Palu stretched for miles. Convoys carrying food, water and fuel were waiting for police escorts to prevent pilferage before heading to the city, while a stream of residents headed for the city. # 39; outside.

A humanitarian worker quoted anonymously by Reuters spoke of growing lawlessness and threats of violence among survivors in search of fuel. The state-owned utility, Pertamina, has announced that it is carrying 4,000 liters of fuel, while the Indonesian logistics agency has announced that it will send hundreds of tons of rice.

On Monday, Widodo authorized the country to accept international assistance to deal with the consequences, according to a tweet from the Indonesian Investment Coordination Council. It was not clear right away what types of assistance the government would allow. The Widodo government has avoided any outside help after the earthquake that devastated the island of Lombok in the east of the country earlier this year.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government had allocated Rs.560 billion (US $ 37.58 million) to disaster recovery, media reports said. But the government of Widodo will probably have to go much further in its coffers to avoid a humanitarian disaster that is likely to be exacerbated by lawless chaos.

This report is based on reports from news agencies

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