BMKG Encourages High Potential Countries To Form Tsunami Alert Community

BPBD installed disaster evacuation signs around the coast area that had been hit by earthquakes and tsunamis in Suak Ribee Village, Aceh on Monday, January 18, 2021. (Between)

JAKARTA - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has encouraged tsunami-prone countries to accelerate the formation of a tsunami alert community aka the Tsunami Ready Community.

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati said the tsunami alert community could reduce risk, especially in minimizing the number of victims.

"Tsunami-prone countries need to prepare community preparedness in coastal areas so that they know how to deal with this disaster if at any time it occurs," he said online when speaking at The Economic and Social Commission forum for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Disaster Resilience Week and the Corresponding 8th Session of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction which took place July 24-25 in Bangkok, Thailand July 26, was confiscated by Antara.

He explained that the 2004 Aceh tsunami, the 2009 Samoa tsunami, the 2010 Chile tsunami, the 2011 Tohoku Japan tsunami is proof that this tsunami threat is real

He said the tsunami alert community is a program to increase people's capacity in dealing with tsunami threats based on 12 indicators related to the aspect of assessing potential hazard (assessment), preparedness (preparedness) and responses that have been set by UNESCO-IOC.

He mentioned the 12 indicators, namely that they have been mapped and designed for the tsunami danger zone; the number of people at risk in the tsunami danger zone can be estimated; economic, infrastructure, and political sources are identified; as well as tsunami evacuation maps that are easily understood.

Then, tsunami information including signs is displayed in public; socialization, public awareness, and education are available and distributed; socialization or educational activities are held at least three times a year; training for and by the tsunami community is held at least once every two years; the construction of contingency plans or responses are in a state of emergency by communities in tsunami-prone areas; the development of capacity for operational management of emergency responses when tsunamis occur.

Other indicators, namely the availability of adequate and reliable facilities to receive tsunami early warning from the competent authority (from BPBD) for 24 hours on time; and the availability of adequate and reliable facilities to distribute the official tsunami warning 24 hours to the local public on time.

"It takes the active involvement of all elements of society to accelerate the realization of this tsunami ready community. Not only the government, but also the private sector, academics, communities, including media colleagues in it," he said.

He conveyed that the Tanjung Benoa Bali Village Community is one of the communities that has received the recognition of the UNESCO Tsunami Ready Community.

"Tsunami Ready can not only be implemented in the tourism sector, but also in critical infrastructure sectors such as airports and ports," said Dwikorita.