COMMENTARY

ONE morning in 2 April 2007, a whopping 8.1-magnitude earthquake triggered a deadly tsunami, and in less than five minutes, 52 people were killed in the Western Province.

On February 6, 2013, an 8.0-magnitude undersea earthquake generated a destructive tsunami that hit Santa Cruz Island, Malo Island and Lord Howe (Nibvanga Noi) Island which killed 5 people.

Heavy rain brought by Tropical Cyclone Ita in Honiara on April 2014 created the worst flood in history. It killed 22 people with over 50,000 affected.

3,000 people were affected by the recent 7.8 magnitude quake that struck last month December 9, with many buildings reportedly damaged in parts of Makira, South Malaita, and Guadalcanal as a result of the quake and subsequent tsunami waves.

In the Shortland Islands, dozens of families were reported homeless after more than 30 homes on Maleai village were destroyed by the 7.9 magnitude PNG-centered earthquake on December 17, 2016.

The fear of another, similar disaster(s) may still be very much on people’s minds as the country continues to experience a spate of tremors and aftershocks.

One or two cyclones have also been forecasted to hit the country this wet season, warns the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services.

Solomon Islands is exposed to these natural born killers.

These naturally occurring disasters have made enormous adverse impacts on the livelihood of people living in the affected communities, and the country as a whole.

Poor health, economic loss, environmental damages and absence of poor quality relationships with family and friends are the furthermost vulnerabilities that have subsequently occurred.

It is usually an adverse event that exceeds the response capability of an affected individual or community.

Riaua Tesika, an elderly woman of Titiana village in west Gizo recalls that the destructive waves of up to five meters high, gushed in at high speed taking down people and buildings as it goes inland.

As a result, 10 people died in Titiana, of which three were children and seven adult.

Amongst the dead was an elderly female. (pictured here) She was hit by a smashed fibre glass destroyed by the tsunami, giving the woman no chance of survival.

In total, there were 52 deaths which include 26 children and 26 adults in 10 villages within Western and Choiseul provinces.

On January 22 a strong earthquake with a magnitude 8.0 occurred west of Arawa, Bougainville. A tsunami warning was issued for provinces in the western Solomons, but was later cancelled by the Solomon Islands Meteorological Services.

On Wednesday last week, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck 141 km from Guadalcanal.

Just yesterday morning, an undersea earthquake of magnitude 5.0 occurred near Latitude 11.8 Degrees South, Longitude 166.4 Degrees East, approximately 47kilometres west-southwest of Vanikoro Island in Temotu Province.

What have we, as a country learned so far from these destructive natural killing phenomena?

Are we prepared if another one is coming?

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, Dr Melchior Mataki in a recent interview said: “We can do all the actions within our capacity to reduce our vulnerability to disaster.”

He said the recent earthquake that affected Makira and parts of Malaita and Guadalcanal and the Shortland islands points to a need to look at designs of our buildings so that they can withstand certain category of cyclones and earthquakes.

“When building homes, people must take into consideration the potential risk of natural hazards. That is the first step without waiting for disaster to occur; people must make sure houses are properly built,” he said.

He said construction of buildings throughout the country must be up to the required standard building code, to withstand natural extreme events.

Dr Melchior said it is important that the standard building code must also be enforced by municipal authorities throughout the country.

“We can have a new building code but it needs to be enforced. We really need to strengthen that so that the designs are resistant, not only to resist cyclones but also earthquake.

Dr Melchior pointed out that this must have to be addressed holistically.

“This is important to reducing the risks well before a disaster strikes, and this is our collective responsibility,” he said.

Dr Melchior said people should not build on places that are on high risks.

“We can do all the actions within our capacity to reduce our vulnerability to disaster,” he said

National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) Director, Loti Yates has told the media that, “The natural disaster is stronger than us all, so we must not under estimate the power of nature.”

Therefore, for us to save ourselves and our loved ones, there is most important need to educate ourselves on disaster preparedness plans or emergency response plans, to enable us to effectively response for ourselves when disaster strikes.

Thus, it is important that we must adapt to such plans to decrease the chances of our communities and ourselves from being affected by disasters, such as earthquake or tsunami.

Disaster preparedness plans are organized set of plans ahead; required for us to carry out to prepare for a possible disaster, while an Emergency response plan is a plan of action needed for us to carry out when disaster strikes.

People should be reminded of the key measures on what to do before an earthquake occurs.

It is also of paramount importance to be reminded of key messages on what to do when an actual earthquake strikes, such as identify safe places where you can protect your head and avoid heavy falling objects.

Earthquake can cause a tsunami. If you feel a strong earthquake, go quickly to higher ground and listen to the radio for warnings.

An earthquake is unpredictable, your family and community must be prepared at all times. Keep an emergency kit at home for your family.

If you are travelling on the road, pull off the road to a clear area and stop the car. These are the key safety messages supplied by the NDMO.

NDMO Director, loti Yates has told the media that the power of nature can kill, be prepared at all times.

Consider yourself, your family, your community as vulnerable to disaster and prepare your disaster preparedness and emergency response plans – ‘what to do’ as the country is predicted to continue experience tremor and aftershocks.

Remember; reduce the risks by building strong quake proof homes.

Earthquake can cause a tsunami, if you feel a strong earthquake, go quickly on higher ground and listen to the radio for warnings.

The power of nature can kill! Be Prepared!