Tsunami preparedness and environmental vulnerability analysis in Kukup Beach, Gunungkidul, Indonesia

Abstract

The coastal area of Gunungkidul Regency directly faces the subduction zone in the Indian Ocean that includes one of the nine seismic gaps in Indonesia. This location has a history, and the possibility, of tsunamis with a large magnitude. This study aimed to analyze the community preparedness and the environmental vulnerability to tsunami hazard in Kukup Beach, Gunungkidul Regency. The preparedness was measured from the presence of early warning installations, information boards about hazards on site, publicly displayed maps of the area, self-rescue facilities in case of disasters, and education related to tsunami risk reduction. Meanwhile, the environmental vulnerability was determined by the presence of evacuation instructions, evacuation access, resources for evacuation, the condition of evacuation route, topographical characteristics, and emergency-related environmental conditions. All of these data were acquired from in-depth interviews and field observation on related environmental conditions. The results of the analysis indicated that the level of community preparedness in the study area was high, accompanied by the low environmental vulnerability.