REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MANADO - Three regencies in North Sulawesi already had contingency plan to face natural disasters especially tsunami, the Regional Natural Disaster Control Agency (BPBD) said. "The contingency plan has been made more specifically on earthquake and tsunami," Hoyke Makarawung, the head of BPBD, said on Thursday. 

Makarawung, said the contingency plan was prepared as a follow up of the "Pacific Partnership"  meeting held earlier this year in North Sulawesi attended by participants in natural disaster control training from various countries. "The plan is always adjusted to present condition and it has support from related agencies,"  he said on Thursday. 

He said the contingency plan is needed as a precaution as North Sulawesi lies on active lithosphere, which any time could shift triggering earthquakes. "The quake could be minor or big, but we need to be prepared for big ones potential to trigger tsunami," Makarawung said. 

The city of Manado, the regencies of Minahasa Utara and Minahasa, have large population living in coastal areas that could be hit by tsunami. There are 60,000 people living in coastal area vulnerable to danger in the event of tsunami. In line with contingency plan, the National Search and Rescue agency , the military and police and other related agencies each holds standard operational procedure in handling disaster.

"What is important is that they all ready to follow the operational procedure," Makarawung added. 

In West Sumatra, the National Natural Disaster Control Agency plans to build shelters for people that have to flee their houses in the event of tsunami. The shelters will be built in higher ground not far from residential areas in the coastal areas of that province. 

The shelters are located within reach of the people in less than 30 minutes after quakes feared to trigger tsunami. West Sumatra was hit by big quake and tsunami leaving many people dead and causing big disasters in that area. 

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