Tsunami Warning Ends, North Gorontalo Residents Return Home

The Gorontalo Province Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has announced that the tsunami warning for North Gorontala Regency has ended after relevant authorities revoked the alert status following a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in the Sulawesi Sea. Consequently, residents have been permitted to return to their homes.

Moh Tahir Laendeng, a disaster analyst at the Gorontalo BPBD, stated that members of the public who had previously undertaken self-evacuation to various highland areas due to the earthquake-triggered tsunami warning are now being directed back to their respective residences. “Alhamdulillah, the tsunami warning has ended. The community members who previously fled to higher ground can now return to their homes,” Tahir said in Gorontalo.

Previously, the BPBD, alongside relevant agencies, conducted intensive monitoring in several coastal areas of North Gorontalo after receiving information regarding potential tsunami risks. Tahir noted that field monitoring revealed sea-level rises in several locations, including the Kwandang and Ponelo Kepulauan districts. However, these rises were not significant and did not impact residential areas.

“There were indeed several points where water levels began to rise, but it was not significant. The increase was manageable for the community and had not reached settlements,” he added. He further explained that the rise was primarily observed in estuaries and rivers connected to the sea, occurring after the sea had initially receded. “The sea level, which initially receded, then rose again, but the increase was not significant, at approximately 0.27 metres.”

Despite the lack of major impact, the BPBD had urged residents in coastal, riverside, and beach areas to undertake temporary evacuations to safer locations while awaiting official updates. Residents followed official instructions by evacuating to higher ground in North Gorontalo. Up until the cancellation of the tsunami warning, the BPBD had received no reports of casualties or damage caused by the sea-level changes.

Personnel from the BPBD, Basarnas, TNI, Polri, and the local government, who had been monitoring and securing coastal points since the morning, remained on alert until the warning was officially lifted. The Gorontalo Provincial BPBD expressed appreciation for the public’s rapid response to evacuation orders, which ensured the situation remained under control. Although conditions are now deemed safe, the public is still advised to remain vigilant regarding potential natural disasters and to continue following official information from the government and disaster management agencies.