May 2006 Java earthquake

May 2006 Java earthquake

Residents as far inland as Yogyakarta and Klaten fled inland in fear of a repeat of the 2004 tsunami, but such an event didn't transpire. The Solo-Yogya highway was jammed with people fleeing in panic. Burglaries occurred during that time, leading to speculation that thieves had spread rumors of a tsunami in areas 100 m above sea level. Fear of loss through theft had also been a significant factor in the reluctance of many people living near Mt. Merapi to be evacuated when the volcano showed high activity earlier in the year.
The quake destroyed 567 schools and damaged 537.
The earthquake is thought to have been tectonic in origin and not directly associated with the ongoing eruption of nearby Mount Merapi, although the earthquake is reported to have caused increased activity in the volcano. The isle of Java lies on the boundaries of the Australian plate and the Eurasian plate. This position places it on the Ring of Fire and predisposes it to common earthquakes and other tectonic activity. The interaction of the two plates below the surface of the Earth caused this earthquake.
The sea south of Java is historically associated with many earthquakes, as indicated in the Historic Seismicity map of the USGS. During 2006, there were a couple dozen quakes of similar strength off the coast, but most of them were deeper or further from shore, thus less damaging to people and infrastructure.
Although Tsunami warnings were issued in the early aftermath of the earthquake, the earthquake didn't cause any tsunami activity.
Many countries and organizations offered foreign aid to the devastated region, but the actual amounts delivered/received often varied from these figures, as in the case of other disasters.
Most international wire services had already had reporters or 'stringers' in the area due to the Mount Merapi eruption to the north of Yogyakarta.
Yogyakarta for many is associated with Borobudur and Prambanan, even though both locations are some distance away from the town. As a result, news stories tend to emphasize the condition of those places. Borobudur suffered no damage whereas Prambanan, which is much closer to the epicentre, has according to reports, suffered significant damage.
The reporting of the immensity of the problems that were evolving following the earthquake also competed with the crisis in East Timor in the media of some countries like Australia and New Zealand.
The earthquake's shallow depth was a major factor, but the scale of the damage was made worse by failure to meet safe building standards and employ basic earthquake-resistant construction methods, according to FuturArc. Most homes in the area were built with low-quality materials without structural frames and reinforcing pillars. Many deaths and injuries occurred when buildings and walls collapsed.
The government was slow to implement assistance in reconstructing private houses, leading many homeowners to repair or rebuild their homes either by themselves or with community help. Reconstruction in some areas was aided by relief agencies, like the Red Cross Red Crescent.
Villagers rebuilt their homes with extremely limited resources, using simple affordable materials. They turned to traditional materials, such as bamboo, because of the damage inflicted by collapsing brick walls.

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