Are we ready for the next strike?

A tsunami's tragedy happened at Banda Aceh 14 years ago, but most of the city dwellers don't grasp it clearly the hazardous of it. An un-adequate risk perception may be a contributing factor of this un-adequate preparedness. In general observation, we can make a hypothesis that many people in Banda Aceh are unprepared for the next strike. This study is to examine this hypothesis by studying the preparedness of students at SMP 1 Banda Aceh to the natural disaster of tsunami. An interview survey was carried out to randomly selected students to obtain data on their state of emergency preparedness and to ascertain their attitudes toward disaster. Thirty-one (31) students were interviewed. All the respondents know that the school is located at past tsunami's inundated area. About >75% respondents, who participated in the survey, have at least an emergency preparedness plan in place, and approximately 81% of these students believe that they know about contingency plan. However, based on the respondents' response to explain their action if any strong earthquakes strike, only 10% of the respondents have, truly, applied a contingency plan. It is recommended that a contingency plan campaign must be carried out in Banda Aceh.