Tsunami Vulnerability Of Critical Infrastructures In The City Of Padang, West Sumatera

Abstract

Based on historical records and latest studies on seismic activities in Sumatra mega thrust, the city of Padang is predicted to experience earthquake Mw.8 followed by tsunami in coming decades. Many efforts have been made to mitigate the impact of earthquake and tsunami such as: setting up early warning system, arising public awareness through education, and building shelters and tsunami evacuation routes. However, none of the efforts have been directed to the significance role of critical infrastructures. Having learnt from the 2004 Aceh tsunami, the existence of critical infrastructures played a key role in the processes of aids distribution, rehabilitation and reconstruction after the disaster. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess tsunami vulnerability of 198 critical infrastructures in Padang using Papathoma Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment (PTVA-3) method by considering hydrodynamics, building characteristics, functionality, and physical environment. The analysis shows that more than 50% of critical infrastructure in Padang is highly vulnerable.