Tsunami Evacuation Planning; Case Study in Padang City - Indonesia

Padang city is a coastal city in Sumatra. Padang is the region that is most likely to be devastated by a tsunami that may occur in the near future. The research estimated that the arrival of a tsunami (ETA) in Padang city could be about 20-30 minutes. Padang city is situated on the very flat liquefiable ground, with approximately 800,000 people in which 50% of residents live in tsunami inundation area. Therefore, it would be difficult to evacuate almost 400,000 people in a short time to a safe tsunami zone. There would not be enough time for people to reach a safe or higher place.

The local government has made various efforts to develop local early warning systems and disaster management. These activities include preparing legislation, preparing evacuation infrastructure, building shelters, and preparing resources for government officials and for the community, and other support activities that must be done to anticipate the tsunami hazard. It is recognized that the provision of all infrastructure for evacuation requires a longer period, and is not an easy thing to do considering that Padang city is not a prosperous city, and it has low revenue.

In the light of the condition, Padang city needs a tsunami evacuation planning. This study aims to evaluate the process of tsunami evacuation planning in Padang city, Indonesia. The evaluation will be through measurement and assessment of a disaster preparedness index of tsunami evacuation, with the assessment object given by the government and society. To achieve the aim and the objective of the research, the single case study is selected. This study implements a mixed method application, with semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey. Content analysis is used to analyse qualitative data, and the descriptive statistics technique is used to examine quantitative data.

Based on the results of the survey, it is known that the knowledge of individuals in Padang city is apparently good. It is comprehended by their ability to understand the meaning of the tsunami disaster, the causes of the earthquake and tsunami and their characteristics. Mosque in tsunami zone is the basis in tsunami preparedness, because it has many advantages among them: as a vertical tsunami shelter, as a shortest-fastest way, as a facility to disseminate disaster / EWS and as a facility to educate students. People who work in BPBDs will stay / permanently there for five years. If the displacement remains the case, at least BPBD can recommend an employee who has the capacity in disaster and participates in a forum on the disaster in Padang city. Tsunami evacuation maps must be reviewed, both from the number of maps distribution and the ability and willingness of the public to read maps, the effectiveness of the placement of maps at the intersection and the road.