PMI trains citizens to cope with natural disaster

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 09/16/2006 8:16 AM

Adisti Sukma Sawitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Ain't no ocean but a pond of milk /hooks and fish nets are enough for us to get by /Ain't no storms and cyclones in our way /fish and shrimp are so abundant /People say we live in the land of heaven/ wooden sticks and stones give us food.

This song by Koes Plus, a popular band in the 60s and 70s, talks about how easy life can be in Indonesia. But after a tsunami hit Aceh in 2004 and an earthquake struck Yogyakarta and Central Java in May, the lyrics sound more like irony.

The disasters put Indonesians on notice that death and destruction can arrive in an instant, and that people must learn how to survive.

""We have all these disasters which caused widespread destruction. The problems that they have brought cannot be solved by the government alone. People should learn to handle a disaster themselves,"" Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) chief Mar'ie Muhammad told The Jakarta Post.

That is why over the past three years, PMI has not focused only on its traditional role of providing blood. It has also tried to promote awareness in disaster-prone areas.

PMI, with the support of international red cross societies and humanitarian organizations, has helped community groups in Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Lampung, Central Java, South Sulawesi and South Kalimantan establish community-based disaster preparedness (CBDP) initiatives.

Every region has its own natural threats, such as floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

The western coasts of Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra are vulnerable to tsunamis, while places such as Danau Tempe district in South Sulawesi have been identified as flood-prone.

PMI usually starts by training a group of 10 residents as CBDP initiators in their village. These local volunteers, usually prominent members of the community such as midwives or youth leaders, will encourage more residents to get involved in the program.

In tsunami-prone areas, PMI helps locals map out fast paths to reach higher ground.

But man-made disasters often can't be predicted, Mar'ie said.

""How could we train people to be ready for the unending Lapindo mudflow in Porong (East Java)?"" he said, referring to the hot mud that has been flooding the area from a gas well since late May. ""We didn't know it was going to happen. All we can do there is provide victims with shelters and medicine.

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