An overview of physical and social vulnerability of high-risk coastal area after 14 years tsunami – a case study of Banda Aceh

Abstract

On December 26, 2004, tsunami one of the deadliest disasters has occurred in Aceh. Many of the casualties apparently occurred as the result of lack of awareness of tsunami hazards among the communities. Banda Aceh city of Sumatra Island, Indonesia is one of the severely affected coastal areas surrounding the Indian Ocean. After 14 years, despite the remarkable disaster event, peoples tend to return to build their house near the coastal areas, particularly in Banda Aceh. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of vulnerability of the coastal area of Banda Aceh more than a decade post-tsunami. This research uses GIS and spatial analysis for processing spatial data. The result shows that in 2016 and 2017 Banda Aceh has the highest physical vulnerability, which is 64% whereby one of the highest physical vulnerability was in Punge Ujong and the lowest was in Gampong Pie. On the other hand, in 2017 Banda Aceh has the highest social vulnerability, which is 69%. The area that has the highest social vulnerability was in Punge Ujong and the lowest was in Gampong Pande. Overall, the tsunami vulnerability level in Banda Aceh remains high, particularly in the coastal area. The result of the study implies that despite there is a collective memory of the tsunami of 2004, however, people tend to ignore the risk of living near the coastal areas. Actions in terms socialization on the risk and mitigation strategies should therefore be constitute in the development plan on the city level.