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.
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(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 15-11-2014 20 |
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