Natural disasters in Indonesia can usefully be divided into major disasters, medium level disasters, and lesser disasters which although causing less damage are very common across Indonesia. These can conveniently be considered as macro, mezzo, and micro events. Policies to respond deal with each of these different types of disasters.
The official website of the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana) provides frequent updates on disasters occurring in Indonesia.
Major natural disasters with widespread loss of life
The following is a list of main natural disasters that have occurred in Indonesia during recent history which have led to major loss of life (broadly defined here as over 500 deaths in the disaster).
Year Month Event Place Main area Death toll Displaced Damages1257 Huge eruption of Rinjani Lombok West Nusa Tenggara Huge eruption (1) 1586 Mount Kelud Blitar East Java 10,000 est 1815Apr Huge eruption of Tambora Sumbawa East Nusa Tenggara 11,000 est (2) 1815Nov Earthquake and tsunami Singaraja and SurabayaBali and East Java >11,400 1822Oct Galunggung West JavaWest Java 4,010 1833Nov Sumatra earthquake and tsunami West SumatraWest Sumatra and Bengkulu numerous 1861Feb Sumatra earthquake North SumatraNias area 2,000 est (3) 1883AugEruption of KrakatoaSunda StraitWest Java and Lampung36,417 1892JunMount Awu eruptionNorth SulawesiNorth Sulawesi1,530 est 1899SepSeram earthquake and tsunamiSeram IslandMaluku province3,864 1917JanBali earthquakeBaliBali and Lombok 1,500 1919MayKelud eruptionBlitarEast Java>5,000 1926JunePapua earthquakePapuaPapua and Papua New Guinea>5,000 (4) 1930NovMerapi eruptionYogyakartaYogyakarta and Central Java>1,300 1963MarAgung eruptionBaliBali2,000 est 1973AprFlores CycloneFloresEast Nusa Tenggara1,650-1,653 1976JunePapua earthquake Papua Papua 5,000 1976JulyBali earthquake Buleleng Bali 573 1992Dec Flores earthquake Flores East Nusa Tenggara 2,500 2004Dec Aceh & Nias tsunami Aceh and NiasAceh and North Sumatra 170,000 (5) 500,000+ 2005MarNias earthquake Nias North Sumatra 1,300 2006May Yogyakarta earthquakeBantulYogyakarta 5,782 600,000-699,295 Rp29.1 trillion ($3.1 billion)2006JulyPangandaran earthquake PangandaranWest Java and Central Java 660 est $44.7 million2009Sep Padang earthquake Padang West Sumatra 1,115 2018Aug Lombok earthquakeKarina M. Tehusijarana,'What you need to know about the Lombok earthquake', The Jakarta Post, 6 August 2018, and Kiki Siregar, 'Death toll in Lombok quake hits 131, more than 156,000 displaced.', The Jakarta Post, 8 August 2018. The death toll coninuted to rise as further reports of damage became available: 'Ministry, geological agency provide clean water to Lombok evacuees', The Jakarta Post, 14 August 2018. The official count is regularly updated on the website of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (in Indonesian).North LombokLombok 564 Rp8.8 trillion ($607 million)2018Sep Palu earthquake and tsunami Palu Central Sulawesi 4,340 (6) Rp24.6 trillion ($1.71 billion)2022NovCianjur earthquakeCianjur West Java635Rp4 trillion ($256 million)2025NovCyclone SenyarNorthern SumatraAceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra>1,200 (7)1.2 millionRp68.7 trillion ($4.13 billion) (1) Total death toll unknown. The eruption is believed to have had a worldwide impact. (2) This is the estimated death toll from the direct impact of the eruption. A total of perhaps 70,000 people are estimated to have died from starvation and disease in the area in the months following the eruption. See also 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora. (3) "Some thousands" are reported to have died. (4) Source: MCEER, University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, Major Indonesian Earthquakes of the 20th Century, accessed 29 December 2013. (5) This is the estimated death toll in Indonesia. An estimated 60,000 more people died in other countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, especially in Sri Lanka. (6) The original official death toll was around 2,200. However several thousands more, perhaps 4,000 or more, were buried in a major mudslide during the earthquake. It has therefore been difficult to compile a reliable estimate of the final toll. As of February 2019, it was estimated that over 4,300 died.Ruslan Sangadji, 'Central Sulawesi recovery to take three years', The Jakarta Post, 2 February 2019. (7) Only counting the number of deaths in Indonesia. At least 300 more deaths were recorded in Thailand and Malaysia.
Medium level natural disasters
In addition to the disasters listed in the table above, there are a large number of natural disasters in Indonesia which cause medium levels of loss of life (here defined, roughly, as between 50 and 500 deaths) or which give rise to large numbers of internally displaced refugees, sometimes for some months or more. Some recent examples of these include the following.
Year Month Event Place Main area Death tollEvacuees (estimates)1965Jan Sanana earthquake Sanana Island Maluku Islands 71n.a.1966Apr Kelud eruption Blitar East Java >210n.a.1968Aug Sulawesi earthquake North Luwu Regency Sulawesi >200n.a.1979Feb Dieng Plateau eruption Dieng Plateau Central Java 149n.a.1981Jan Irian Jaya earthquake Puncak Jaya area Papua (province) >300n.a.1982Apr Eruption of Mt Galunggung Garut West Java 7262,0001990Feb Widespread floodsUNDRO report for February 1990. Semarang and regions Central Java 169approx 20,0001994Feb Lampung earthquake Lampung Sumatra approx 200> 2,000 injuries1997Sep Indonesian forest fires Kalimantan Sumatra & Borneo 240?2000June Enggano earthquake Bengkulu Sumatra >100> 10,000 houses seriously damaged2006Jan Sijeruk landslideBanjarnegara Regency Central Java 240?2006May Sidoarjo mud flow Sidoarjo Regency East Java n.a.approx 40,0002007Oct Kelud eruption Blitar East Java n.a.30,0002009Sep West Java earthquake Cianjur and Tasikmalaya West Java approx 80approx 210,0002010NovMerapi eruption South of Mount MerapiYogyakarta & Central Java 353350,0002010Aug Sinabung eruption Karo RegencyNorth Sumatra 130,0002010Oct Wasior floods WasiorWest Papua 1457,9002010Oct Mentawai earthquake and tsunami Mentawai IslandsWest Sumatra 44020,0002014Feb Sinabung eruption Karo RegencyNorth Sumatra 16over 30,0002014Dec Karangkobar landslideBanjarnegara RegencyCentral Java 108 2,0382016Dec Pidie Jaya earthquakeMarguerite Afra Sapiie, Ina Parlina, Hotli Simanjuntak, 'Aceh quake kills at least 94', The Jakarta Post, 8 December 2016.Pidie Jaya RegencyAceh approx 100 over 45,000 displaced2018Dec 2018 Sunda Strait tsunami Sunda Strait Banten and Lampung 437over 46,0002019Jan 2019 South Sulawesi floods South Sulawesi Gowa Regency and Makassar 68?2019Mar2019 Jayapura flood and landslide Jayapura Papua (province) 113 11,0002021Jan2021 West Sulawesi earthquake Mamuju Regency West Sulawesi 108 20,000*2021AprCyclone Seroja East Flores Regency East Nusa Tenggara 183 8,000+2021Dec2021 Semeru eruption Malang, Lumajang East Java 57 10,655
Note. Estimates of the numbers of evacuees can vary considerably in short periods of time. In some cases large numbers of people move away from a threatened area but return to their homes as soon as possible. It is often the case in Indonesia that people are reluctant to move away from their homes, or stay away long, because of worries about loss of property through theft and because of the need to look after local farms and cattle. Figures listed here are generally the peak numbers although sometimes different sources provide different estimates.
Lesser natural disasters
There is a large number of smaller natural disasters in Indonesia each year which often lead to deaths of 10 or 20 people or more. For example, landslides (tanah longsor) are very common in upland areas, especially during the rainy season, and cause much local damage and deaths.Agus Maryono, 'Hundreds of villages in C.Java prone to landslides', The Jakarta Post, 8 December 2014, and Agus Maryono, 'Hundreds buried alive under Banjarnegara landslides, The Jakarta Post, 16 December 2014.
Flooding is also a regular problem across many parts of Indonesia. The capital city Jakarta is subject to severe floods from time to time which usually cause some loss of life and significant damage to public and commercial infrastructure. In January 2014, for example, over 20 people lost their lives during widespread flooding and at one stage over 60,000 citizens were temporarily housed in nearly 250 evaluation shelters across the city.Indah Setiwati, 'Flood death toll rises to 23 people', The Jakarta Post, 27 January 2014.
In many rural areas, local flooding is very common and brings loss of life as well as much local inconvenience to economic and community life. Recent examples of these sorts of problems at the regional level include:
A landslide at a resort in Pacet near Mojokerto in East Java in 2002 when over 30 people died.Ainur R. Sophiaan, 'Rescue team ends search for bodies at Pacet hot springs' , The Jakarta Post, 18 December 2002. A landslide in Agam Regency in West Sumatra in January 2013 which left 20 people dead. A series of landslides and floods in Manado in North Sulawesi in February 2013 which caused much damage and killed at least 17 people.Landslides, floods, kill 17 in Manado', The Jakarta Post, 19 February 2013. A landslide in West Bandung Regency in West Java in March 2013 in which 17 people were killed'Landslide site unsuitable for settlement', The Jakarta Post, 27 March 2013. Flash floods and landslides in Manado in North Sulawesi in January 2014 in which at least 16 people died and 40,000 were evacuated.'Death Toll Climbs to 16 as Menado Floods Leave Tens of Thousands Displaced', The Jakarta Globe, 16 January 2014. Around 1,000 homes were flooded; the government allocated Rp 3.3 billion (almost $300,000) for assistance.'Govt allocates Rp 3.3bn in aid for flood victims', The Jakarta Post, 17 January 2014. A 6.4-magnitude earthquake in late July 2018 killed at least 16 people, and injured around over 350, in Lombok in Eastern Indonesia.Panca Nugraha, '10 die in Lombok earthquake, Mt Rinjani closed to hikers', The Jakarta Post, 29 July 2018, and Gemma Holliani Cahya, 'More than 1,000 hikers evacuated from Mt. Rinjani', The Jakarta Post, 31 July 2018. Floods in Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) on 1–3 January 2020 killed at least 48 people, and more than 31,000 people were evacuated. Floods occur because of rain that occurred from 31 December 2019 to 1 January 2020.
National outlook
2014
According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB, or Badan Nasional Penanggulanan Bencana), as many as 566 people were killed by natural disasters and displaced over 2.6 million in Indonesia in 2014. Almost all of the disasters were classified as hydro-meteorological events. Tornadoes were the most common natural disaster (496 events) followed by floods (458 events) and landslides (413 events). Landslides caused the most deaths estimated at 343 people.'566 people killed by natural disasters in 2014: BNPB', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.
See also Lists of disasters in Indonesia List of earthquakes in Indonesia Indonesian tsunami, list of List of wildfires in Indonesia
References
External links Official website of the Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana). This website provides useful statistics on disasters in Indonesia. The ReliefWeb Indonesian page provides information on disasters in Indonesia since the mid-1980s. The website of the Java Reconstruction Fund, which was established after the major earthquake in Yogyakarta in 2006, provides useful references about approaches to disaster relief in Indonesia. Disaster displacement: Indonesia country briefing, 2023