TSUNAMI: ALERTS WORKED, BUT WE CAN DO BETTER

By Fauziah Ismail | fauziah@nst.com.my


The second floor of Anjung Liku, Balai Berita, shook a little when an 8.6-magnitude earthquake struck northern Sumatra, Indonesia, on Wednesday afternoon last week.

Both CNN and BBC had the earthquake that day as "breaking news", with the tsunami alert activated by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC).

Both news channels were equally quick to disseminate information. We immediately issued an SMS alert to our subscribers on the situation.

We updated our website and Facebook page based on information obtained from the centre and the US Geological Survey, a scientific agency under the United States government, which gives updates on what it terms as "significant" earthquakes all over the world.

We closely followed the updates by Mari Ramos, the Nicaraguan American weather anchor for CNN International in Atlanta, which we found helpful in understanding the situation.

The warning systems and emergency responses have come a long way since the 2008 tsunami, triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake near Banda Acheh in Indonesia, which killed nearly 230,000 people in the region.

Tsunami warning sirens blared on Wednesday in parts of the republic, which suffered the biggest loss with almost 130,700 deaths, 37,000 missing and more than 500,000 people displaced during the last disaster. Evacuations were also undertaken in parts of the country.

Other countries in the region also reacted quickly to Wednesday's tsunami threat.

Thailand issued an evacuation order along the Andaman coast. In the Maldives, some resorts were evacuated as a precaution.

Ramos reported on the buoys in the ocean that measured the water level changes. A tsunami did occur but it was minimal.

It was a few hours later that the PTWC lifted the tsunami watch for the entire Indian Ocean, indicating the threat had passed.

While the warning systems and emergency responses worked, there is still work that needs to be done.

Ramos reported, for example, that more measuring devices are needed in the Indian Ocean.

On the local front, we tried to access the website of our own Meteorological Department for local updates when the earthquake happened but to no avail.

We, however, managed to get the head of the geophysical and tsunami division, Dr Rosaidi Mat Abas, to speak to us.

That was when we sent out a second SMS alert warning those in the northern states to stay away from the coastal areas. But that alert reached only our subscribers.

There must be a way for such alerts to reach everyone because it does not affect those in the northern states alone. The entire country reported tremors following the earthquake.

Our reporters received phone calls and SMSes from their family members and friends asking for updates. We, too, received Facebook messages on the matter.

When we finally managed to access the Meteorological Department's website, we checked on its information dissemination mechanism.

It said it had several components such as SMS, direct line (hotline), Internet, telephone and telefax for the dissemination of earthquake and tsunami warnings within 15 minutes of occurrence to the media and disaster management agencies.

It also has what is called a Siren Network, installed at several strategic locations in populated coastal areas and beaches to provide notification of an emergency warning or tsunami threat at any time.

There is also a fixed line alert system, jointly developed with Telekom Malaysia, which enables voice message dissemination of earthquake/tsunami warnings to the public in affected areas through fixed telephone lines.

And there is an SMS service and a hotline number -- but how many of us are aware that the department can push earthquake information through the mobile phone or that you can get tsunami/earthquake information through Telekom Malaysia's fixed line by dialling a hotline number?

Real-time information will enable the public to take the necessary action without having to wait for any official advisory or warning, which could come too late.

In fact, most of the 1,000 residents from five villages in Kota Kuala Muda, Kedah, vacated their homes on their own accord and assembled at the nearby multi-purpose hall when they felt the tremors.

Among the 68 people killed in the 2004 tsunami, 12 were from the fishing settlement. An SMS alert, pushed through their mobile phones, could put their worries at bay.

On our part, we have subscribed to the department's earthquake alert service and also to a free tsunami alert service on the Internet.

We now have to wait for the next earthquake and tsunami to see if the service is in effect.

Read more on Alerts worked, but we can do better - Columnist - New Straits Times