Earthquake Hits Jayapura City, Papua Province in Indonesia

On Tuesday, February 9th, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the city of Jayapura in Papua Province, Indonesia. The quake caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure in the area and resulted in four deaths. Shortly after the earthquake hit, a fire broke out at Hamadi which is located near the epicenter of the quake. Witnesses reported that they saw victims who were cafe workers being thrown into the sea as their building collapsed due to the tremors. The Indonesian government has deployed emergency personnel to help with search and rescue operations as well as providing aid to those affected by the disaster. Local authorities have also urged people living near areas prone to landslides or floods to take extra precautions and evacuate if necessary. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has set up an emergency response center in Jayapura City where people can get information about relief efforts and other assistance related to this disaster. The agency is also working with local officials on ways to provide long-term support for those affected by this tragedy. This is not the first time that an earthquake has hit Indonesia; last year there was a 7.5 magnitude quake that killed over 2,000 people on Sulawesi Island and destroyed thousands of homes across several provinces including Central Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku and East Java Provinces. This latest quake serves as a reminder of how vulnerable Indonesia is when it comes to natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis due its location along major fault lines in Southeast Asia’s Ring of Fire region.