Mapping of Tsunami Evacuation Routes and Shelters in Batukaras Village, Pangandaran Regency, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Batukaras is a village located on the Southern Coast of Java Island. The village is part of Pangandaran Regency, one of the top tourist destinations in West Java. Every year, the village attracts national and international tourists alike to Batukaras beach, famous as a surfing destination. However, the village has seen records of tsunami as recently as 2006, where a tsunami from a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck the village and caused the death of hundreds and economic losses valued at millions of rupiahs. A series of activities aimed to increase disaster preparedness in the village has been done ever since. Recently, a team from ITB Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) has made an effort to identify IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready indicators in Batukaras Village. Part of the effort is to identify tsunami evacuation routes in the village. Field observation was done to locate evacuation shelters and signages around the village, and the data is presented in the form of a tsunami evacuation map. Our study resulted in a successful mapping of evacuation routes and shelters in Batukaras Village. Furthermore, the data can be used towards the fulfillment of the IOC-UNESCO Tsunami Ready indicators in Batukaras Village.