Disaster Mitigation, BMKG Documented Tsunami In Lembata 45 Years Ago

Air photos of the current situation at Waiteba Beach, Lembata, NTT, which was hit by a tsunami in 1979. (ANTARA/HO-BMKG)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) documented the Waiteba tsunami disaster that occurred in Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) on July 18, 1979.

"The tsunami document 45 years ago was carried out to remind the general public and especially the people of Lembata to this devastating disaster for future preparedness," said BMKG Young Experts Meteorology and Geophysics Observer Admiral Musa Julius when contacted, Wednesday, March 13, was confiscated by Antara.

He said that the southern region of Lembata was hit by a tsunami on July 18, 1979. The tsunami incident was rare because it was not preceded by an earthquake or volcanic eruption, but occurred due to an avalanche from the Ile Werung mountain complex.

The disaster also hit the southern coast of Lembata Regency, in Waiteba, Labala, and Bobu, with the number of victims above 500 people.

According to Musa, documentation related to the tsunami disaster before the Aceh tsunami incident was still very minimal, even though it claimed many lives. The disaster incident was only well documented after the 2004 Aceh Tsunami.

For this reason, he said, BMKG assessed the need to document the tsunami disaster story again by recording the narrative of living witnesses who directly experienced the incident.

The data and information from the documentation can also serve as a reminder for generations born after 1979 that there has been a devastating tsunami disaster in Lembata.

"The embedding has the potential for a tsunami, considering that in the north there is a fault of Flores' back arc and in the south there is Mount Hobal which is in the sea," he said.

The documentation of the Waiteba Tsunami disaster has begun with a field survey from March 5 to 8, 2024.

The survey was conducted at the locations and points where the 1979 Tsunami disaster was recorded, namely Loang, Ile Kimok, Waiteba, Leworaja, and Atakore villages.

The BMKG team conducted a survey by visiting village heads in the southern region, then leaving a form containing data collection on live witness profiles. In addition, a special team also flew unmanned aircraft (drone) to get the latest air image of the situation in the avalanche complex.

The next plan, he said, was for the BMKG team to record tsunami disaster testimony and other important documents in the coming months to reconstruct the 1979 tsunami chronology.

"The plan is that the next arrival of documentation and interviews with live witnesses will be matched on the commemoration day of July 18," he said.

The results of the documentation of the Waiteba Tsunami disaster are books and videos.

Musa hopes that good documentation will produce comprehensive data related to the tsunami disaster in Lembata.