The present study was aimed to investigate to what extent the communication technology
support in facing the danger of natural disaster in Indonesia regions. A 7.4 magnitude
earthquake and tsunami with damage scale of IV-VI MMI devastated electricity network
infrastructure and shut down the communication network infrastructure throughout Palu
city, Central Sulawesi. As many as thirty respondents were interviewed to give
information about how people could make communication during the emergency
responses. The findings revealed that a number of cellular technology devices such as
two-way radio system and satellite phone were two reliable devices to use during the
emergency response coordination. In addition, the use of mobile BTS technology could be
used to cover the needs of communication for people living in prone-disaster areas.
Keywords: communication technology, earthquake, case study, Indonesia
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat sejauh mana dukungan teknologi komunikasi
dalam menghadapi bahaya bencana alam di wilayah Indonesia. Gempa bumi
bermagnitudo 7,4 yang disertai tsunami dengan skala kerusakan IV - VI MMI merusak
infrastruktur jaringan listrik dan mengakibatkan kelumpuhan infrastruktur jaringan
komunikasi di Kota Palu, Sulawesi Tengah. Sebanyak tiga puluh responden
diwawancarai untuk memberikan keterangan bagaimana orang-orang dapat
berkomunikasi saat masa tanggap darurat. Temuan menunjukkan bahwa sejumlah
perangkat teknologi komunikasi seluler seperti sistem radio dua arah dan telephone satelit
masih merupakan alat yang dapat diandalkan dalam koordinasi tanggap darurat. Selain
itu, penggunaan teknologi BTS mobile dapat digunakan sebagai pilihan untuk memenuhi
kebutuhan komunikasi bagi masyarakat yang tinggal di daerah rawan bencana.
Kata kunci: teknologi komunikasi, gempa bumi, study kasus, Indonesia