The Earth Disaster Research Laboratory of the Geoscience Study Program Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA) UI is ready to increase the number of earthquakes early detection devices to be installed in disaster-prone areas.
The tool is named Earthquake Warning Alert System (EWAS). Dr. Supriyanto, Chair of the Geosciences Study Program of FMIPA UI, said that EWAS was installed in many people’s homes to help local people to be alert when hearing early warnings during an earthquake.
Previously, Supriyanto continued, the installation of EWAS was carried out on Saturday and Sunday, October 13th – 14th, 2018 in Sembalun Bumbung Village, Sembalun District, East Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province.
He claimed the tool’s warning system proved to be effective and worked well after an evaluation. So he and his team are ready to install the device in other disaster-prone areas.
“This system effective in detecting earthquake shocks with a small magnitude, which occurred before the main earthquakes, so Insha Allah, we will install again for the Donggala, Palu, Cimandiri Lebak Banten areas and some surrounding areas,” he said to the FMIPA UI Public Relation teams. He hoped that EWAS could become a reference for residents to evacuate and rescue themselves as early as possible when a disaster occurs, to minimize the negative impacts and losses due to the earthquakes.
In Lombok, he and his team installed 6 EWAS units, spreading out with positions between EWAS ranges 200 to 300 meters. Community centers become priority places for EWAS installations such as in shops, places of worship and Sembalun Bumbung Village Office.
The development of the EWAS tool was funded by the Community Service Grant from the University of Indonesia in 2018 while the cost of installing EWAS was sponsored by the UI Care for Lombok Movement.
How EWAS Works
EWAS gave an earthquake warning sign in the form of a loud siren.
This tool is a vibration sensor that works in an integrated manner. The system is installed in a standby state while connected to electricity. A warning sign in the form of a siren sound will only be active when the earth’s surface vibration signal is detected simultaneously in all systems that are spread over an area. So that for local vibrations (caused by vehicles, other residents’ activities) this tool does not give a sign.
