BPBD Of West Sumatra Builds 30 Shelters Against Tsunami

 Padang, West Sumatra (Antara Bali) - The West Sumatra regional disaster control agency (BPBD) said it has prepared  30 shelters against piossble tsunami in coastal area of the province.

"Taking a lesson from the tsunami in 2009,  we improve facilities to protect the people from possible repeat of the disaster," head of the West Java BPBD Zulfiatno  said here on Wednesday.

Zulfiatno said BPBD utilized old existing buildings or built new ones  as shelters.

In the city of Padang alone two new shelters have been built at Parupuk Tabing,  and  Koto Tangah  areas, he added.

"Other shelters are old government  and private buildings such as the building of the sport faculty of the UNP, Bung Hatta Post  Graduate building  and Hotel Mercure," he said.

West Sumatra would need 250 such shelters to accommodate people living in the coastal area of the province.

He said the 2009 quake triggered tsunami destroyed houses and infrastructure devastating the people's economy.

The provincial administration has yet to work hard to fully recover the province from the impact.

Learning from the experience the regional administration has issued a regulation that new infrastructure or other building have to be  resistant to quakes.

The people are given understanding to meet the standards for housing  and other property construction.

"People hit by collapsed buildings made up most of the victims in the 2009 quake in Padang," Zulfiatno said, adding, therefore,  standards are needed for construction of new buildings. (WDY)