Local official debunks warning by foreign seismologist
Local official debunks warning by foreign seismologist
Apriadi Gunawan and Sjofiardi Bachyul, The Jakarta Post, Medan/Padang
North Sumatra residents were told not to panic in response to
analysis from foreign seismologists that another monster
earthquake would rock the province in the near future, a
government official said on Thursday.
Tuban Wiyoso, the chief of the Data and Information Section at
the Medan Meteorology and Geophysics Agency, said that the
analysis was not necessarily truthful as there was no technology
currently available that could accurately predict where and when
earthquakes will occur.
Tuban was responding to a conclusion reached by John
McCloskey, a professor of environmental sciences at Britain's
University of Ulster. McCloskey recently said that Sumatra island
was now at risk from two potentially major quakes, one of which
could generate waves 10 meters high.
He feared that the next quakes might be as high as 9.0 on the
Richter scale, and could be centered near cities along the west
coast of Sumatra, including Padang.
In contrast to McCloskey, Tuban predicted that such a monster
earthquake would not happen in western or northern Sumatra "in
the near future."
The intensity and frequency of a series of strong aftershocks,
believed to be related to 9.3-magnitude quake on Dec. 26 off the
coast of Aceh and another one measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale
off Nias island in March, had been consistently declining, Tuban
theorized.
"Shortly after the two big quakes, measuring 9.3 and 8.7 on
the Richter scale, the aftershocks occurred daily. But, now they
only occur every fourth day or so. The intensity of the
aftershocks has also been on the decline, with many of the
stronger ones now below 6 on the Richter scale. These quakes are
not dangerous," claimed Tuban.
Despite the difference of opinion between Tuban and McCloskey,
the Padang municipal government has taken precautionary measures
to prevent fatalities, should larger quakes hit.
The municipal government established a Tsunami and Earthquake
Information Post, a day after the 8.7-quake rocked Nias Island on
March 28. The post provides a map for residents that directs them
to safe areas where the residents are supposed to head if there
is a danger of a tsunami. The government has also set up
emergency training courses for students and teachers whose
schools are within two kilometers of the coast.
Together with telecommunications company PT Telkomsel, the
municipal administration has built 40 warning sirens throughout
the city, in the event of an impending tsunami.