A destructive earthquake that damaged some buildings in the south of Jember, East Java, is a reminder that the structures are yet not qualified as earthquake-resistant, an official stated.

“If the 5.0-magnitude earthquake can already damage house buildings, what will happen if an earthquake at 6.0 to 8.0 magnitude strikes?” Coordinator for Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation Daryono at the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said here on Friday.

Daryono explained that several buildings damaged by the 5.0 magnitude earthquake in Jember showed that structural mitigation relating to earthquake-proof buildings had yet to be implemented optimally.

To this end, evaluation and assessment of all buildings located in places vulnerable to earthquakes are deemed necessary.

“If (one) cannot afford an earthquake-proof house, the alternative solution is to build a house with light materials that can handle earthquake, such as wood and bamboo, which can be designated,” Daryono explained.

He noted that the most important aspect in building a house that is safe from the threat of earthquakes is not hastily constructing it without iron as the backbone, as it can be dangerous to the house occupants.

According to Daryono, earthquakes do not directly kill people but collapsed houses do. Hence, he believes the first solution in mitigating earthquakes is to build earthquake-proof buildings.

On Thursday, Dec 16, Jember District was hit by a 5.0-magnitude earthquake that damaged 38 houses. The earthquake’s epicenter was close to the one that struck in 1967 when the quake braced the intensity scale of MMI VIII-IX.

The BMKG noted that based on historical records, Jember District had been hit by six earthquakes since 1896. An earthquake of intensity scale MMI VIII-IX struck in 1896.

Then, in 2013, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake damaged seven houses. Meanwhile, in 2016 and 2018, earthquakes of 6.2 and 6.1 magnitudes respectively were recorded.

Daryono stated that Jember was located in proximity to the potential earthquake source, which is the Indo-Australian plate subduction, which sharpens to the bottom of the Eurasian Plate in the south of East Java, or is known as the megathrust zone, in addition to being adjacent to active faults both on land and on the seabed.

Source: Antara News