The tradition of New Year's celebrations is carried out joyfully by holding musical performances and fireworks at 00.00, which marks the start of the new year. However, amidst the joyful celebrations upon welcoming the New Year, we often forget about the dangers and disasters that can strike us at any time. While the people were busy with their activities to welcome New Year's Eve, earthquakes occurred in several places in Indonesia. An earthquake measuring magnitude (M) 5.0 rocked Pangandaran Regency, West Java, on Sunday (31/12/2023), at 11.53 Western Indonesia Time, which was felt as far away as Tasikmalaya City. On the same day at around 14.35, still in West Java, the Sumedang Regency area and its surroundings were shaken by a tectonic earthquake measuring 4.1 magnitude. An earthquake with a greater strength, 4.8 magnitude, occurred in Sumedang before New Year's Eve and left hundreds of buildings damaged.
The earthquake did not only shake areas in Indonesia. Entering the beginning of 2024, on Monday (1/1/2024), a large earthquake measuring 7.5 magnitude rocked several regions in Japan and activated early warnings about the potential for a large tsunami in the western coastal region of the country. Japanese Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida even reminded residents to remain alert. Coastal residents should immediately go to a location that is higher and safe from the tsunami.
The natural disasters that occurred ahead of and at the beginning of 2024 certainly reminded people to always be alert and ready to protect themselves and maintain the balance of nature. Humans cannot resist the disaster that will occur. But at least, they can avoid and reduce the risk of this disaster. Indonesia's geographic location, in the middle of the Pacific Ring of Fire, makes it a tropical country that is vulnerable to various natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. For this reason, the government and related institutions such as the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) as well as the media must intensively provide outreach and information to the public about the importance of disaster prevention and mitigation, so that the public can know this information and can be better prepared. Always be alert in facing potential disasters!
