The tsunami early warning siren which was installed in the compound of the Al-Kauthar Mosque, near Tawau, in 2006 is functioning well.

Tawau Meteorological Department officer Zamunah Zainal said the siren would give early warning and message to residents living along the coast to exercise caution if a tsunami was about to happen.

“The siren which is fully controlled by the headquarters in Petaling Jaya can be heard by residents staying one to two kilometres from it,” she told reporters after testing the equipment in Tawau yesterday.

She said the department carried out scheduled tests on the equipment each year. The system was inspected in January and June this year.

Other than Tawau, such a siren was also installed in Semporna, Kunak and Lahad Datu districts.

Zamunah said the siren had four main functions, namely, early trial, delivering a message of caution to the public, giving tsunami warning and withdrawing tsunami warning.

- Bernama