Aspects of a Large Tsunami That Struck the Sunda Strait in Indonesia: Lessons for Japan and the Rest of the World

To the Editor:

A tsunami struck the Sunda Strait between the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra on December 22, 2018, at 9:27 pm Indonesia time, without a preceding earthquake. ¹ It caused waves as high as 90 cm, with a tidal as high as 2 m. As the waves surged onto the coast, they washed away buildings and scattered trees. ¹ As of December 24, 2018, there were at least 373 dead, 128 missing, and 1459 injured, but the final numbers are expected to be higher. ²

Most tsunamis around the world follow a fixed pattern in conjunction with an earthquake. Examples of disasters in which a large earthquake was followed by a tsunami causing a large number of casualties include the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, ³ the 2010 Chile earthquake, ⁴ and the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. ⁵ The tsunami that struck the Sunda Strait was different as it followed the collapse of a volcanic cone and not a traditional earthquake. This is a pattern sometimes seen in Japan. ⁶ Many different government departments and agencies are trained in disaster preparedness and they need to be familiar with the different disaster patterns, such as that occurred in the Sunda Strait tsunami.

The response to a disaster must continue beyond immediate emergency relief to address restoration of living conditions, continuing medical care, and controlling environmental concerns and sanitation. Medical care should include long-term mental health monitoring and treatment. Suicide prevention programs are important after major disasters. In all disasters, preplanning, training, adequate resources, and a command structure are important. These should be components of public health education.