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.