Sabtu, 15 November 2014

INDONESIA BRACES FOR NATURAL DISASTERS

 By Andi Abdussalam  
          Jakarta, Nov 15 (Antara) - Indonesia, a country prone to natural disasters such as landslides and floods during the rainy season, is now bracing itself to face potential disasters.
         A number of disaster mitigation agencies, including the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as well as other societal organizations and volunteers, are all prepared to face the rainy season that has begun to arrive.
         The BNPB has instructed its fast-reaction task forces to be on high alert and get ready to handle disasters.
         "The BNPB head, Syamsul Maarif, has issued the instruction to put its fast-reaction task forces on high alert. We have deployed them in several regions and in the capital city of Jakarta," BNPB's Head of Public Relations, Information and Data Center, Sutopo Purwo Nogroho, said here on Saturday.
         He added that besides preparing the fast-reaction task forces, the agency also prepared logistics and airplanes. It is collecting data on development of disasters taking place across Indonesia, as well.
         "We are always on the alert and continue to monitor mishaps and disasters. We will certainly report every single disaster that occurs," Nogroho said.

 
         The public relations head further noted that when the head of the BNPB issued the instruction to the BNPB's Operation Control Center, all ranks and files of the agency began making preparations to be ready to be deployed to regions affected by natural disasters.
         The agency's ranks and files must be agile in carrying out relief measures and must be speedy in evacuating victims from affected areas.
         Currently, the BNPB is handling a number of natural disasters in the country, including floods in Aceh, forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and earthquakes, among others, Nogroho pointed out.
         In addition, the Basarnas affirmed that it was ready to help carry out mitigation efforts in situations where disasters require emergency response.
         "We will go down to the fields when the disasters enter the stage where they require emergency response and threaten the safety of victims," M Yusuf, the head of the Press and Media Publication Section of the Basarnas, said in Jakarta on Thursday.
         He added that a number of ongoing disasters had entered the phase of the emergency response, including the Aceh floods, the Mt. Sinabung eruption in North Sumatra, forest fires in Riau province of Sumatra, and haze problems in Kalimantan.
          The Basarnas will deploy its officers to their best capacity and strength, along with supporting devices and tools that would help to speedily evacuate victims.
          "We are trained to overcome major disasters and those in their emergency stages. If the disasters can be handled by the regional government and are not threatening the lives of the victims, we send our regional teams already in the areas concerned," Yusuf stated.
         He noted that some parts of Indonesia have entered the rainy season. Anticipating disasters such as floods and landslides, the Basarnas has prepared supporting equipment and facilities that can be used to mitigate their impact.
         Officials of the agency remarked that it had also appealed to the people to remain cautious during the season, which usually begins late in the year and lasts until February or March.
         "We have called on the people, especially those living in flood- and landslide-prone areas, to always remain alert in the advent of the annual rainy season," he asserted.
         Furthermore, trainings have also been organized for people willing to work as volunteers and rescuers in disaster mitigation activities.
         A national humanitarian institute, which calls itself the Care for the Ummah Justice Post (PKPU), conducted such training workshops for aspiring volunteers.
         "The training programs to handle disasters are designed for people interested to become disaster mitigation volunteers," Diantika Kenamon, a member of PKPU's Disaster Risk Management Unit, said on Saturday.
         He added that Indonesia was very prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and tsunamis.
         "Post-disaster impacts include damaged infrastructures, crippled economy, social problems, as well as various effects on people's lives," Kenamon explained.
        To minimize the impacts, it is important to formulate a perfect disaster management and handling plan that covers both medical and non-medical aspects, he affirmed.
        "For this purpose, continuous training is needed during the disaster and during its recovery phase," the PKPU activist stated.
         Therefore, the training programs were launched not just for a group of people but for the public at large so that they can educate people and help them become self-reliant in saving and protecting themselves.
         "In this regard, the PKPU is providing disaster training for those interested in serving as disaster volunteers," Kenamon noted.
         Besides, the importance of the public's role in handling disasters was also voiced by legislator Deding Ishak, the deputy chairman of Commission VIII on social affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR). 
    He said that the public had an important role to play in helping to mitigate the damage caused by a disaster.

         "We want people's role to be optimized as they play an important one," Ishak pointed out after chairing a hearing of the house on Wednesday.
         The legislator remarked that people's attitude would decide the level of damage caused by a disaster. This is even more important in Indonesia as it is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire.
         Being the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes due to its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.
         Therefore, people must continue to be educated and made to understand ways to mitigate disasters. "If a disaster occurs all of a sudden, they will know how to save themselves (through such training)," he stressed.
    ***3***
(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE

(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 15-11-2014 20

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