Indonesia recovers and shifts to preparedness

As Indonesia comes to terms with the damage caused by September’s Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami, the focus now shifts to preparedness in one of the most vulnerable natural hazards regions in the world.

CRC project leader Andrew Gissing (Risk Frontiers) leads the Catastrophic and cascading events project and says that tourists are some of the most vulnerable people during a disaster.

“Tourists may be unaware of risks present at their destination, lack local support networks and encounter cultural and communication barriers,” Andrew says.

The Sulawesi earthquake came as Andrew conducted a rapid assessment study of the Lombok earthquake, which had over 500 fatalities just one month earlier.

Responses of over 100 overseas tourists were analysed as part of the study to explore how people behave during extreme events.

Survey respondents reported that collapsed buildings, falling objects, cracked walls and power cuts were some of the immediate signs of the earthquake.

Forty-three people initially ran outside when the earthquake occurred, with few reporting that they undertook actions consistent with international safety advice.

“Advice is available from travel safety websites, though these results would indicate that utilising such methods of risk communication solely to engage with a diversity of travellers has significant limitations,” Andrew says.

People began to climb to higher ground and pay close attention to the advice of locals and hospitality staff. Many evacuated the day after the earthquake.

Reports following the disaster found that over 600 schools, 15 mosques and three hospitals were damaged.

“Catastrophic disasters overwhelm authorities and have large scale impacts across multiple different sectors including political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental”

Andrew says that many of the locations that appeal to Australian travellers are often associated with a high risk for natural catastrophes.

“Warm, shallow seas and sandy islands make idyllic tropical resort getaways, but these places are often at risk from natural hazards,” Andrew says.

Will this occur in Australia?

As a near neighbour of Australia, Andrew and his research team pay close attention to the catastrophic events that occur in Indonesia.

Support networks, cultural differences and language barriers show that tourists have a different understanding of risk when compared to locals. This highlights the need for transparent emergency communication and to consider the unique vulnerabilities of the tourism industry.

Andrew says that Australians are not immune from disasters like the Lombok and Sulawesi earthquakes, and that tourism operators need to be more engaged with disaster preparedness and be connected with disaster management organisations.

“Cyclone Debbie caused significant damage in some of Australia’s most popular tourism areas. This is why strong partnerships between emergency services and tourist operators are critical,” he says.

Andrew says that planning for a disaster should be an ingrained part of peoples planning and preparation before they travel.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs does provide some details about natural hazard risk through its SmartTraveller website.

Andrew presented his findings on this study at AFAC18, powered by INTERSCHUTZ.