The earthquake of 1926 in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra

Abstract

This study explores contemporary newspaper narratives on the devastation caused by the earthquake of 1926 in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra. These narratives become crucial amid the difficulty of finding historical statistical data for disaster studies that depict the chaotic situation caused by natural disasters in the past. Historical methods and methodologies were used in this study to combine fragments of information found in contemporary newspapers, especially those discussing the situation of societies and the policies of the Dutch colonial government in dealing with the earthquake of 1926 in Padang Panjang. This study hopefully opens new insights for the development of disaster disciplines and provides access to the development of the study of the history of disasters in developing countries, particularly in Indonesia.