No storm on RI's horizon but stay alert, says BMG
No storm on RI's horizon but stay alert, says BMG
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Yogyakarta
Urging the public not to panic, the Meteorology and Geophysics
Agency (BMG) has said there are no tropical storms approaching
Indonesia, but warned the public to remain alert.
The head of the BMG forecast and service division, Achmad
Zakir, said on Monday the tropical storm currently building in
Australian waters would not hit Indonesia as storms naturally
drew away from the equator.
"There are no indications of a tropical storm coming. The
storm in Australian waters will move south, away from the
equator," he said.
Zakir said the high winds and waves now hitting Indonesia's
southern coastal areas were the normal results of a nearby storm,
and estimated they would subside in the next few days.
"When a storm is growing, it is normal for the wind to pick up
and subsequently the waves to grow taller. But there is no big
storm coming, let alone a tsunami," he said.
A employee in the BMG maritime meteorology division, Fachri
Radjab, said three-meter tall waves were seen on Monday in the
Arafuru Sea and along the southern coast of Nusa Tenggara.
"We expect these waves to reach four meters tall at a maximum
and to gradually return to normal in the next two days as the
storm moves farther south," he said.
Fachri said it was not recommended for fishing boats, ferries
or other big boats to sail in the affected areas.
Provincial offices of the BMG in Yogyakarta and East Java
recently forecast an imminent tropical storm heading for the
country's southern coastal areas.
Despite the soothing analysis from the central BMG,
Yogyakarta's natural disaster relief team stepped up on Monday
preparations for the evacuation of residents, including setting
up refugee camps, transportation, monitoring posts and public
kitchens.
The head of Yogyakarta's public order agency, So'im, said the
agency was inventorying several locations that could be used by
refugees and preparing dozens of trucks for evacuation purposes.
The Jakarta Post observed on Monday dozens of monitoring posts
set up along southern coastal areas. Each post is manned 24 hours
a day by three search and rescue personnel, three radio personnel
and local administration officials. Each post is also equipped
with a siren tower.
A number of residents living near the coast are also taking
precautionary steps such as packing up their clothes and other
valuables in case they have to evacuate.
The storm warnings have turned the normally hectic southern
coast from Sadeng in Gunungkidul to Glagal Indah in Kulonprogo
quiet. Fishermen are reluctant to go out in their boats and are
complaining of drastic drops in their revenue.
The meteorology office at the Adi Sucipto Airport in
Yogyakarta said wind speeds were returning to normal and urged
the public not to panic.