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Disaster agency trains locals along Java’s south coast
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has embarked on a mission to train and empower locals living along Java’s southern coast vis-à-vis risks posed by potential tsunamis and other types of disaster
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span>The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has embarked on a mission to train and empower locals living along Java’s southern coast vis-à-vis risks posed by potential tsunamis and other types of disaster.
The expedition, known in the local acronym as Destana, from desa tanggap bencana (resilient villages), is among the preventive programs initiated by the BNPB that started on July 11 with Banyuwangi in East Java as the first destination. The expedition, which targets 584 villages in 20 regencies deemed in danger of tsunamis, is expected to finish on Aug. 16 in Serang, Banten.
According to the BNPB’s director of public empowerment, Lilik Kurniawan, the expedition team consists of 200 individuals, including officers from several relevant ministries and agencies, as well as scholars and volunteers.
“The expedition will check the preparedness [of locals and officials with the local administrations] in facing tsunamis. [We will also check] evacuation routes, evacuation signposts and evacuation shelters,” Lilik said as quoted by Antara.
According to risk analyses by BNPB, at least 5,744 villages in Indonesia are at risk of tsunamis.
Pangarso went on to say that the expedition was part of the government’s efforts to minimize losses and the number of victims in the case of a tsunami.
“In the last 25 years, Java’s southern coast was hit by three different tsunamis: first in Banyuwangi, then in Pangandaran [West Java] 13 years ago and then one year ago in Pandeglang [Banten],” Pangarso said.
Pangarso referred to the latest tsunami that hit beaches in Lampung and Banten in December last year, which killed at least 168 and injured more than 750 people, some of whom were tourists.
The BNPB argued that the program would also help local administrations and tourism industry players to boost the safety of tourists, as most beaches along the southern coast were tourist spots.
“[A program] to empower locals who live along the southern coast [in disaster mitigation] will also guarantee the safety of tourists because at least 70 percent of the beaches are tourist destinations,” BNPB official Pangarso Suryotomo said during a discussion in Blitar, East Java, on Wednesday.
“[We have] learned from the tsunami disaster in Pandeglang [Banten] last year that about 80 percent of the victims were tourists,” he added.
Blitar is the fifth regency that the expedition team visited after Banyuwangi, Jember, Lumajang and Malang in the East Java province. In Blitar, the team shared their knowledge with village officials and local figures from 10 villages around Tambakrejo Beach, a tourist spot in Blitar.
More than 100 individuals voluntarily shared their knowledge with locals and members of schools in the villages.
At Tambakrejo Beach, the expedition team put up a warning board for visitors about tsunamis, including a guide to installing several online applications such as Inarisk Personal and Info BMKG from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), which can help users acquire relevant information.
“The team also gathered information and data to assess how resilient the villages are in facing tsunami disasters. There are several indicators such as [the presence of] evacuation routes, health facilities and information boards,” Pangarso said.
After the Destana expedition, Pangarso said, locals were expected to assess their preparedness in facing tsunami, adding that local administrations now had sufficient financial capacity to increase their resiliency through village funds.
Blitar Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) prevention division head Yanto said that Blitar had established two local organizations to specifically respond to tsunami risks on Tambakrejo and Serang beaches. (awa)
