Padang Prone To Earthquakes, People Need To Know The Locations Of Some Shelters Managed By The City Government

Photo illustration of the earthquake. (Doc. Freepic)

Padang City in West Sumatra is one of the cities prone to earthquakes. According to geologists, this city is located between two active sources of earthquakes, namely the meeting of Australian plates and Eurasian plates.

Acting Mayor of Padang, Andree Algamar, suggested that the public know the location of the closest shelter (vacuation site) to the domicile and workplace place.

"The shelter functions as a place for emergency evacuation in the event of a tsunami disaster. People, especially those on the beach, must know the location of the closest shelter," he said in Padang, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, September 7.

He said it was to strengthen disaster mitigation measures, especially earthquakes and tsunamis, which are currently viral on social media again.

Andree said that currently, the Padang City Government manages several shelters, including in Bungo Pasang Village, shelter Nurul Haq at Jondul 4 Parupuk Tabing Koto Tangah Complex, and shelter Wisma Indah Warta Bunda at Ulak Karang Utara.

"These are some of the main shelters. There are several tall buildings that can also be used as shelters in emergency conditions. The public must know the point," he said.

He also asked the local sub-district head to be able to socialize shelter points to the community. One way according to Andree is to hold activities that are attended by many people.

"Use this shelter for various activities, such as joint gymnastics, community gatherings, the pabukoan market during Ramadan, wedding prayers. Optimize it for crowd activities so that people are familiar with this place," he said.

In addition, he also asked the sub-district head to immediately optimize the shelter management agency. The goal is that the shelter is always maintained, clean, and ready to use according to its function.

Regarding the issue of the threat of Megathrust Mentawai, Andree said it was not a new issue. The majority of Padang residents already understand the potential for the disaster

"Now this is again a national issue. We make this a reminder alarm to strengthen mitigation again. In addition to evacuation exercises, we must take various concrete steps, including strengthening vital facilities that support disaster preparedness," he said.

He said that in addition to optimizing shelters, the Padang City Government had updated evacuation route signs, and installed tsunami warning sirens at various strategic points.

"We also already have a blue line or blue boundary line which indicates the prediction of a safe limit if a tsunami disaster occurs," he concluded.