TSUNAMI threats in most parts of Sabah remained low, except for Tawau, a Sabah geologist said today.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah Natural Disaster Research Centre director Felix Tongkul said there was no cause for concern at present for a possible natural disaster.

“Not to worry to much. The threat is quite low, except for Tawau areas,” he said.

He said unlike earthquakes, which can come without warning, tsunamis occur underneath the seabed, giving residents some leeway when it comes to readiness.

However, Tongkul said awareness on the dangers of tsunamis and what to do in such situations must be spread to people on the ground.

“The use of technology will help in saving lives, but what is most important is the community’s readiness to face such an incident.

“They have to respond promptly and move quickly in the instance of an imminent tsunami threat,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

The Meteorological Department yesterday raised the alarm over a possible tsunami threat in the state following dozens of tremors in the southern Philippines and Indonesia over the past few weeks.

A MetMalaysia official recently told The Star that there were 24 earthquakes in Indonesia’s Sulawesi island and the Philippines’ Mindanao island ranging from 34.4 and 6.0 magnitude on the Richter scale.

The official said it was just a matter of when it would strike.

However, according to Tongkul, earthquakes of a magnitude more than 6.5 rarely occurred in Malaysia, due to its location far from tectonic plate divisions. 

“Quakes in the country are usually weak, ranging from between magnitude 3 and 5 in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak, thanks to its location on relatively stable Earth plates,” he said. 

He said Sabah’s shallow seabed platform also served as a buffer to reduce the strength of any tidal waves should they hit the shore. – October 14, 2018.