Indonesia suffers from a devastating earthquake – World Socialist Web Site

Search and rescue operations are continuing in the aftermath of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake on the Indonesian island of Java Monday at 1:21 p.m., the deadliest earthquake since 2018 in the disaster-prone country. The death toll is more than 270, 40 are still missing, and more than 2,000 are injured.

Local youths meander their way through the remains of a village hit by Monday’s earthquake, in Cianjur, West Java, Indonesia, Wednesday, November 23, 2022. [AP Photo/Rangga Firmansyah]

The epicenter of the quake was in Cianjur district, 75 km southeast of the densely populated capital, Jakarta. While the latter felt tremors that prompted evacuations from tall buildings, it did not suffer minor damage. Although relatively mild, the quake struck close to the Earth’s surface (at a depth of 10 km versus hundreds typically) and below landslide-prone rural areas where buildings are poorly constructed.

One landslide almost swallowed the entire village of Szegedel as dozens of people were swept away. The inhabitants took to clearing the land with picks and shovels, but the houses were buried too deeply and there was a shortage of excavators.

Blockages in roads and rain are complicating rescue operations in many villages that have yet to receive logistical support. The National Search and Rescue Agency deployed several helicopters to bring supplies to remote areas and 6,000 rescuers were dispatched.

Millions of people were affected by the earthquakes, as 56,000 homes were damaged. At least 61,000 people have been displaced, many sleeping in makeshift tents. Officials said 171 public facilities were destroyed, including 31 schools.

Power was lost in many areas, cell phone services were disrupted, and hospitals were overwhelmed. Hermann Suhrmann, a government official from the town of Cianjur, said the injuries were usually broken bones sustained by those who were trapped by the debris of the building. Because of the danger of aftershocks, many patients were treated outside under tents. At night, the staff relied on torches.

Because of the midday earthquake, many children were trapped and crushed inside the school buildings. In a media release, the charity Save the Children reported that around 100 children have been confirmed dead, and 80 schools have been damaged.

The teacher, Ayo, told the organization: “I was standing in the front of the class and then I heard a lot of people screaming. Everyone said, run away, leave the room. I thought all the kids had left the class, but it turned out there was still one kid left behind, and he was sick, so I chose it and ran.

“After a few seconds, the walls of our school collapsed in front of us. We were so shocked and everyone screamed and cried. We as teachers tried to calm the children but they were really shocked. They need psychological support as soon as possible, they were really scared. The worst is that some of them may also have to confront losing their parents.”

Widjogo Prakoso, a professor of engineering at the University of Indonesia, noted that many schools failed to survive the impact. “School buildings should receive special attention because not only are they supposed to withstand earthquakes, but they should also serve as temporary shelters during disasters,” he said.

Police said more than 170 aftershocks have been recorded since Monday, one of which triggered a landslide. There are also fears that typical waterways will be blocked leading to a risk of flash floods in the region as Indonesia enters the monsoon season.

The impact of the earthquake was most severe on the poor. Subjugating all aspects of society to the demands of corporate profits that hinder corporate profit Rational and scientific approaches to mitigating and dealing with natural disasters. According to a report released by Oxfam earlier this year, only four men in Indonesia own more wealth than the 100 million poorest.

Population growth coupled with a rising cost of living has forced people living outside of more developed metropolitan areas and into more dangerous areas, where companies, agencies, and real estate developers often ignore building codes and standards. However, Indonesia is located near the “Ring of Fire”, the most seismically active region in the world.

President Joko Widodo visited the affected areas in Cianjur on Tuesday and subsequently authorized 12,000 soldiers and 2,000 police to assist in the ongoing search for the dead and missing.

Widodo has also issued toothless calls for earthquake-resistant housing to be included in the reconstruction effort, a decades-old systemic problem in the country. He promised to rebuild the infrastructure and provide as little as 50 million rupees (US$3,180) to each resident whose house was damaged.

Widodo’s policies may have contributed to the disaster by undermining previous environmental and safety regulations. Sure enough, his government has funneled money into tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy as well as into the military while essential services including emergency services are starved of funds.

It is estimated that the devastating 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2018 in Central Sulawesi killed more than 4,000 people and injured many more. In the city of Palu, thousands of poorly built homes were destroyed by the disaster.

The earthquake raised all the issues that needed to be addressed: earthquake-resistant building standards, properly funded emergency services and assistance to those affected. However, little or nothing was done in the aftermath of that tragedy.

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