8.2 Magnitude Scale Earthquake Shakes Aceh

Aceh, Acehkita Earthquake of an 8.2 Magnitude scale returns to shake Aceh and the North Sumatera. The Aceh people are reported to be in a state of panic and nervous that there will be a repeat of the December 26 tsunami incident.

Until this news comes down, communication to Aceh remains confidential. Acehkita tried contacting the Meteorological and Geophysical Body of Banda Aceh but couldn�t be connected as all communication has been cut. In conjunction, the US Geological Survey Group reports the quake happened at 23:10PM. According to the readings, the quake happened at a distance of 205KM off the Sibolga shores, Northern Sumatera at a depth of 30KM below sea level.

Our contributor in Aceh at Banda Aceh reports, during the earthquake for 5 minutes, it caused an outstanding panic situation. Electric power was out. People were running aimlessly in the darkness of night. Some people were running out of their homes with valuables. �I�m really afraid of another tsunami like the past December,� said one person.

Because of that, some people are busy seeking higher territorial ground like Blang Bintang, in Aceh besar, roughly 35KM from the center of Banda Aceh.

At Peuniti, Banda Aceh, some people are loading valuables from their house onto vehicles to move then to higher territories. At Beurawe, people are running in the direction of the mosque. Prayers chants can be heard from mosques. The panic situation has caused a massive traffic jam on the bridge of Simpang Surabaya.

Bireuen is also in a state of panic. The Polsek and Koramil members are working to calming the public that have brought out valuables from their homes. After hearing the orders, people have shifted their valuables back into their homes. But the public still prefers to anxiously stay outside their houses.

Minutes after the earthquake, our Acehkita contributor at Bireuen just arrived at the Kuta Blang beach to observe the ocean calming.

In the meantime, at Lhokseumawe, people living in the villages (Pusong Baro, Pusong Lama and Ujong Blang) near the beach are running towards Kandang and Panggoi. Our Acehkita contributor at Lhokseumawe reports, TNI are in time to prevent people from fleeing to outside the city. An earthquake also happened at Pidie.

Mukhtar, a Lhokseumawe citizen said that he managed to flee with his family just in time without reason. �What�s important is to be far away from the ocean in anticipating if another tsunami occurs,� he said.

Translated From: AcehKita.com

Indonesians living in coastal areas are evacuating

NTV7,a Malaysian TV news channel reports that the Indonesian authorities have ordered an evacuation of residents living in the coastal areas off Aceh and it's vicinity. Military lorries and soldiers were shown assisting in the mass evacuations.

In Malaysia, the TV news channel also reported that Malaysian government officials and emergency units are on the alert. People living in coastal zones of Penang Island, Kedah and Langkawi are urged to temporarily move to higher grounds in fear of another tsunami attack.

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The latest earthquake recorded on a seismograph. Taken from ChannelNewsAsia

Will this be as bad?

As I am sitting here at 2am in the morning, many things run through my mind.

I felt the tremors at around 12.10 midnight worse than the one that cause the tsunami. My neighbours who evacuated to the open ground also agreed with this. We are staying at Medan Lumba Kuda, a low rise, 5-storey apartment.

I can't help but wonder if our little island in Penang will be spared this time, should there be another tsunami? Are we prepared this time? What are we supposed to do? There are so many questions running through my mind.

Being a mother to school going children, in St. Xavier Institution and St. Xavier Primary School, I am definitely not going to allow them to go to school tomorrow morning. I cannot bear the thoughts of not having them near me. The last time when the tsunami happened, it was during the school holidays. They are home. What if something like this happened when our children and spouses were away. I cannot imagine the agony I will feel.

I had blogged a little about the tremors at my new domain at http://chanlilian.net.

It is sad that even in our little peaceful island, we have to worry about these things now. I pray that we will all be safe and there will be no more tsunami.

Warning! Possible tsunami threat

It was reported in CNN that Thailand has issued a warning that the quake could bring a tsunami to its southern provinces. The warning, which was carried on national television, cautioned people in the six provinces to be careful and vigilant, but did not order evacuations.

Malaysians should be vigilant too. The epicentre of this latest Indonesian quake is very close to the location of the recent boxing day quake that triggered the deadly December 26 tsunami. Preliminary reports of this latest quake measured 8.2 on the Richter Scale, but based on witness accounts throughout Malaysia, the tremors that were felt were must worse.

Tremor was felt throughout Malaysia and Singapore

Areas reported by bystanders to have felt the tremor:

Bagan
Bangi
Bukit Jalil
Cheras
Cyberjaya
Ipoh
Kajang
Kedah
Klang
Lumut
Manjung
Pahang
Puchong
Penang
Subang
Wangsa Maju

Singapore

Source: Low Yat Forum

Buildings in Penang shook violently

Mount Erskine,Penang: An eyewitness reported that his apartment block located in Mount Erskine,Penang shook so violently that many residents scrambled down to the ground level for safety,himself included.

Georgetown,Penang: An eyewitness living in a double storey grounded house reported that the whole building shook and even photoframes on the walls were displaced.

Butterworth,Penang Mainland: An eyewitness in Butterworth reported that his computer monitor shooked violently for a few minutes. He also claims he saw street lamps on the street outside his house swaying!