The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued an early tsunami warning, predicting wave heights of less than 50 cm, for parts of Indonesia, following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Kamchatka, Russia, on Wednesday morning.
Modeling and measurements at several locations across the Pacific Ocean have put average tsunami wave heights outside of Russia, including Indonesia, below 50 cm, head of the BNPB’s Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
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“Even though it is small, a tsunami of that height can still be fatal. We have an example from 2011 in Papua, where there was one fatality even though the detected wave height was only 33 cm,” he informed.
Muhari said that wave amplification can occur in narrow bays or coastal areas, causing seemingly small waves to grow in size upon reaching the shore.
Therefore, the BNPB has urged the residents of five provinces put on tsunami alert—North Sulawesi, Gorontalo, North Maluku, Papua, and West Papua—to evacuate coastal areas until the early warning is lifted.
“People should also remain away from the shoreline for two to three hours after the first wave arrives,” he said.
The BNPB also asked local governments, along with regional disaster mitigation agencies (BPBD), search and rescue (SAR) offices, and the military and police, to educate communities to ensure that they are well-informed and do not panic.
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Translator: Prasetyo, Kenzu
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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