BMKG Unveils Potential Extreme Weather, 8-Meter-High Tsunami in Cilegon

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency or BMKG head Dwikorita Karnawati said before House legislators on Wednesday that there is a potential for a tsunami of up to eight meters in Cilegon or tourist areas in the Sunda Strait.

Dwikorita revealed predictions of extreme weather from the end of this year to early 2022. However, an 8-meter tsunami did not necessarily mean to occur in the same period. BMKG, in its written explanation quoted from its Twitter official account, claimed to have no intention to give a prediction that a tsunami would occur during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“Cilegon is only an example of areas prone to and has the potential for a tsunami,” the statement read.

It emphasized that earthquakes and tsunamis could occur anytime and anywhere, but the exact time could not be ascertained or predicted. The meteorology agency recorded that since 1608, there have been more than 246 tsunamis in the territory of Indonesia, "So we all need to be vigilant."

BMKG also predicted that medium to high intensity rains (at 100 – 500 mm per month) might fall between the Christmas and New Year holidays in December 2021 and January 2022. It was emphasized that weather conditions were more predictable than earthquakes and tsunamis.

“But the potential hazard [of the earthquake and tsunami] can be modeled by using the worst-case scenario as a reference for mitigation efforts. In this case, the BMKG has mapped the level of danger for most of the tsunami-prone beaches in Indonesia,” the agency said.

Read: Indonesian Authority Reinforces Tsunami Mitigation Capacity in Southern Java

ANTARA