A new tsunami warning system will be installed soon in Waihaong village, Ambon City, Maluku province, Head of the Amnon Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Office (BMKG) Herlambang Huda informed on Thursday.

He said the old system could not be operated anymore as the warning systems have been changed to radio frequency-based.

The new system will be able to survive earthquakes that could trigger a tsunami, he added.

Hence, if a tsunami follows, there will be no communication problem between the officer assigned to activate the alarm and the one who is at the location of the tsunami, he explained.

“Still, the officer has to ensure that the information is verified,” Huda emphasized.

According to him, currently, there is only one tsunami warning alarm in Ambon city.

He said he expects that additional devices will be provided by the regional government in the near future so that the warning can reach as many people as possible.

In addition, currently, the agency is installing new disaster radiofrequency system equipment which can change text information to sound, he informed.

“The system will convey information from various sources to the public,” he added.

Ambon city is located at the subduction point of four major tectonic plates — Eurasian, Filipino, Pacific, and Indo-Australian – which makes the region vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis, he said.

The latest earthquake with high casualties in Ambon city happened on September 26, 2019 at 7:46 a.m. local time. It claimed 41 lives and left hundreds injured. The shallow earthquake was located at a depth of 10 kilometers and had a magnitude of 6.5, thus resulting in a tsunami alert.

Source: Antara News