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
