MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: New Straits Times

The Malaysian Centre For Remote Sensing (Macres) is on the verge of completing a mapping exercise that will prepare the nation in the event of another such disaster.

The first phase, completed in June, will help authorities make an assessment of the damage caused.

By early next year, the second phase to identify areas that may be affected in the event of another tsunami will be completed.

Macres director Datuk Nik Nasruddin Mahmood said the first phase was completed in June using data from satellite images of the Dec 26 tsunami on how far the water travelled inland.

"We drew the map using satellite data besides information from ground surveys. What occurred on Dec 26 was the worst case scenario. It’s very unlikely one of the same magnitude will occur again," he said.

It will help authorities identify areas to be evacuated, prepare early warnings, identify locations for relief centres and initiate public awareness programmes.

The tsunami left 68 Malaysians dead, more than 200 injured and a trail of destruction amounting to more than RM100 million. More than 273,000 people died when tidal waves hit the region and the Indian sub-continent.

Nik Nasruddin said the second phase will address possible areas that may be hit in other parts of the country.

"Sabah is especially important because of the active earthquake zone in the Mindanao area. There is also the flat terrain in the eastern part of that State as well as the eastern part of Peninsula Malaysia," he said.

He said the centre was awaiting specialised software for the second phase.

Nik Nasruddin said the maps will be available online to the public on completion.

"We will also display it at areas that are likely to be affected so that the public could be prepared," he said.

Macres researcher Dr Aidy @ M. Shawal M. Muslim said data showed that waves brought by the tsunami reached a maximum of 400 metres inland.

He said damage could have been kept to a minimum if the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) guideline of a development-free zone in the 400 metres from the shoreline had been adhered to.

On the second map, he said it would help identify where relief centres should be based.

"If an earthquake that measured six on the Richter scale occurs in Aceh, we can take that map out of the database and plan the evacuation."

Aidy said the maps would also be useful for educational programmes for those living in risky areas.

"It will also help urban planners in deciding where to build."