Tsunami Disaster Info; BMKG: Trust Only Government Sources

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) appealed to the public to only refer to government agencies when looking for information about disasters. BMKG chief Dwikorita Karnawati made the statement in response to the numerous misleading, unaccountable information regarding the Sunda Strait tsunami.

"Please trust BMKG’s information. Don’t look at accounts that cannot be accounted for,” Dwikorita said in a press conference in Jakarta, Monday, December 24. pers di kantor BMKG, Jakarta, Senin, 24 Desember 2018.

He mentioned several official government-owned applications that the public could access confirmed and verified information from. For information about geography, he said suggested a mobile application called 'Magma Indonesia' made by the Geological Agency.

He also asked the community to trust information from the local Regional Disaster Management Agency and the BPBD, as well as making a direct phone call to the provided hotline.

Dwikorita also asked the public not to be easily provoked by misleading posts, such as the hoax about the BMKG’s tsunami siren.

"After we rebutted it, they posted another hoac and said that our sirene broke. We ask everyone not to add to the suffering of the tsunami victims by spreading false information,” he said.

The Sunda Strait tsunami struck on Saturday, December 22 around 21:27 local time. The authorities so far believe that the huge waves were set off by an underwater landslide caused by the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.

Since the disaster struck, there have been many false information spread in social media, including one that says there would be another wave, which the authorities have denied.

RYAN DWIKY ANGGRIAWAN