0 Tsunami evacuation map available

The Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) installed a tsunami evacuation map at Pengastulan Beach in Seririt, Buleleng regency on Monday. The evacuation map is part of disaster mitigation efforts in northern Bali, which is forecast to be the region that would be first hit by a potential tsunami. “When an earthquake of higher than seven on the Richter scale occurs, the potential for tsunami in this region is 5 minutes earlier than the rest of Bali,” said the head of BPBD operations, Serata Jaya. 

The tsunami evacuation map features routes to higher land and is posted on signs located at several locations on the beach, where people could easily read them. Jaya said training for nearby residents would be conducted to introduce the contents of the signs. He acknowledged that immediate information disbursement on extreme weather conditions was quite a challenge. 

While southern Bali has tsunami warning sirens, information on extreme weather situations usually had to go through several channels before arriving at the affected community, including through the Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the BPBD and the village administrative office. Jaya said alertness to strong winds, for example, was still insufficient, as there was still a long time lag between the source of information and the community. The use of short message service (SMS) and other forms of information technology was still at trial phase and planned for use among hotels and other agencies.

source : bali daily