Maret 2007
RI, US SIGN AGREEMENT ON COOPERATION IN TSUNAMI DETECTION AND WARNING SYSTEMS
Jakarta - Indonesia represented by the Chairman of the Agency for Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), Prof Dr Said D Jenie and US Embassy Charge d'Affaires John Heffern signed an agreement on scientific and technological cooperation in tsunami technology and warning system.
The agreement between the BPPT and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will help BPPT develop a tsunami early warning system for Indonesia that includes a US contribution of two tsunami detection buoy systems, tsunami forecast modeling, training and development to improve Indonesia's ability to issue tsunami forecasts and warnings, a release made available to Antara said on Friday (23/2/2007).
Tsunami models can help emergency managers in potentially affected areas plan events and educate residents of those areas on what they can do to protect themselves. The US Department of State contributed US$1 million towards developing the Indonesian tsunami warning system.
"Last November, President Bush and President Yudhoyono announced a memorandum of understanding to develop multi-hazards warning systems. Today's pledged partnership to develop an Indonesian tsunami warning system is one of the first major initiatives to come out of this important agreement," Charge d'Affaires John Heffen said.
Under this BPPT-NOAA agreement, Indonesia and the US are also committed to training and capacity building in tsunami detection technology and will make a joint contribution to the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System by developing and maintaining a NOAA DART system as a contribution of regional benefit.
The tsunami monitoring system together with another system deployed under a partnership with the Royal Thai Government will help provide timely tsunami notifications for the Indian Ocean region.
NOAA developed the deep-ocean assessement and reporting of tsunami (DART) system to detect tsunamis. NOAA is also developing a new easy-to-deploy system that smaller crafts, such as fishing vessels, can put in place.
"We are working with Indonesia to provide research and development facilities to build the capacity in that part of the world," said Richard W Spinrad, assistant administrator of NOAA's office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).
The United States and NOAA have worked with Indonesia and other Indian Ocean nations to support strategic investments in the IOTWS since the devastating December 2004 tsunami.
Embassy of the Republic Indonesia in Canberra