Once again Singapore has been affected by natural hazard and giving us the signal of climate change’s negative impacts. Volcanic activity believed to have sent a wave crashing into villages and hotels in the popular tourist area on the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra. The countries one of the main economic source tourism also has been affected by frequent tsunamis and earthquakes. This time the tsunami could be linked to eruption of Anak Krakatau leave 843 injured.
Hundreds of homes and hotels have been swept away. According to available reports the probabilities are high that the death toll will rise in the days ahead. The worst affected area was the Pandeglang region of Banten province in Java, which encompasses the Ujung Kulon national park and popular beaches, Indonesia’s disaster management agency said. Of the 62 reported deaths, at least 33 were in Pandeglang.
Television footage showed roads blocked by debris from damaged houses, overturned cars and fallen trees. In the festive area before Christmas the wave washed away an outdoor stage where a local rock band was performing, killing at least one musician. Other people who had been watching the band on the beach were missing. This is so pathetic as the country has not been come out from its previous tsunami earlier this year in Bali. In the city of Bandar Lampung on southern Sumatra, hundreds of residents took refuge at the governor’s office.
> Alma Siddiqua
