The West Sumatra administration will construct a tsunami shelter on the grounds of the gubernatorial office in Padang at a cost of Rp 34 billion (US$3.6 million), writes the Jakarta Post, National, Jakarta, Mon, 21/12/2009 at http://www.thejakartapost.com.

Forwarded by Budhi Mulyawan 211209.

Dodi Ruswandi, head of the administration's road, spatial plan and residential area agency, said Saturday the central government had provided Rp 17 billion for the project.

"We have completed the designs and will finalize the tender for construction in January," he was quoted as saying by news portal tempointeraktif.com.

Dodi said the building would be four-stories high with the two upper stories to be used for people to evacuate to during a tsunami and the lower stories used as administration offices.

The upper stories would also function as sports halls.

Dodi said the building would be used as a model for city and regency administrations to build their own tsunami shelters.

Earlier this year the House of Representatives issued a Rp 300 billion (US$30 million) relief fund to assist reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas in the province destroyed by a powerful earthquake in September.

The 7.9-magnitude quake killed more than 1,100 people and destroyed tens of thousands of buildings in the coastal province.

Experts have warned the area, which lies near the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates, would bear the brunt of Indonesia's next major earthquake, as the final segment along the stretch is shifting and is expected to unleash a massive amount of energy.

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