The Night When the Sunda Strait Sends Waves

The final data recorded by BNPB stated that 437 people died and 1,495 people were injured. Houses, accommodation, businesses and hundreds of boats were damaged.

Behind these numbers are families who have lost family members, fishermen who have lost their boats, workers who have lost their place to earn a living, and residents who no longer feel safe living near the coast.

Anak Krakatau also changed drastically.

Before that event, the peak reached around 338 meters above sea level. After part of its body collapsed, its height remained around 110 meters. The cone built over decades lost most of its shape in just one night.

The incident exposed other weaknesses in disaster preparedness. The tsunami early warning system at that time was designed primarily to detect tsunamis caused by tectonic earthquakes. Tsunamis triggered by volcanic activity and landslides cannot be processed automatically in the same way.

The night of December 22 2018 finally left two wounds at once. Injuries to the people on the coast of the Sunda Strait and large injuries to the body of the mountain were the causes.

However, Anak Krakatau did not stop.

Behind the collapsed body parts, volcanic activity is still ongoing. New material is spewed out again. The mountain that lost its height slowly began to build a new body. (ed)