Early warning system tested in Padang

Early warning system tested in Padang

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post, Padang

Some 5,000 residents in West Sumatra capital city of Padang left
their belongings and houses behind them in the coastal areas of
Ulakkarang and Purus, spilling onto the streets and heading to
higher ground some three kilometers away on Monday morning.

The residents -- many of them women and children, still in
their school uniforms -- were participating in a tsunami
evacuation drill held by the Padang city administration and the
Tsunami Watch Community (Kogami) to test the region's tsunami
early warning system for the first time on Monday, precisely a
year after the massive disaster devastated parts of Aceh and
North Sumatra provinces last year.

Syahrial, a 62-year-old resident of Ulakkarang, said he was no
longer quite so worried about a tsunami.

"If a big earthquake strikes, myself and my family will
immediately flee to higher ground, which we can reach in 30
minutes," he said.

Monday's drill started after the Padang mayor ordered the
emergency evacuation to start after receiving a mock report from
the Meteorological Agency in Jakarta that a sensor on the ocean
floor had detected a major earthquake.

Soon, sirens were wailing and people rushed to a predestined
evacuation area, followed by ambulances and fire trucks.

State Minister of Research and Technology Kusmayanto Kadiman,
who attended the drill, said he was satisfied with the results.

"The drill worked just fine, but I hope similar exercises can
also be conducted in other areas," he said, adding that the drill
should also involve the electricity utility, hospitals, markets
and businesspeople.

If possible, the electricity should be cut off to make the
drill as realistic as possible, he added.

"Everyone should be involved in the drill. By involving
everyone, we can prevent people from panicking," Kusmayanto said.

Since the tsunami struck, the country has been rattled by
hundreds of aftershocks and smaller earthquakes. It is now in the
initial stages of setting up a tsunami early warning system
involving the installation of beach sirens and setting up of
international lines of communication. However, it might take two
more years before the system is fully operational.

West Sumatra Deputy Governor Marlis Rahman said the drill was
a positive development as the city, which borders on the region
hardest hit by last year's tsunami and has 440,000 of its
700,000 people living in coastal areas, is among the areas most
vulnerable to earthquakes and ensuing tsunamis.

"As a result of the drill, people will be less likely to panic
so much, thus cutting down on the risk of accidents," he said.

Padang Mayor Fauzi Bahar said the administration would
continuously strive to improve the system so as to safeguard
residents from the threat of tsunamis. "I'll also ask all schools
to perform tsunami evacuation drills, such as during breaks," he
said.

The Padang city administration, he added, would work together
with the state telephone company PT Telkom to install 87 sirens
on the company's masts.