Capacity Building at the Community Level in the Face of Disaster Risk Reduction in Mauritius

Author(s):  
Nirmal Kumar Betchoo
Author(s):  
Agus Setio Widodo

Simple observation of events for the disaster in Indonesia is almost always showed the same picture is a condition in which reactive attitude and spontaneous, unplanned as shown by society and government. There is a general tendency that people do not know how to act or addressing disaster. Regional preparedness in the face of natural disasters is very important. Slamet mountain with an altitude of 3,428 meters above sea level is the highest mountain in Central Java and the second highest in Java. Population data in the area of Mount Slamet and surrounding areas are included in Kawasan Rawan Bencana (disaster-prone areas) is approximately 215 953 inhabitants. Seeing the extent of the area affected by the eruption of Mount Slamet threats can not be taken lightly. This study aimed to explore the networking model for effective disaster risk reduction in disaster-prone areas of Mount Slamet. Networking model for disaster risk reduction is a very important information in order to overcome the impact of the eruption of Mount Slamet.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s9-s10
Author(s):  
M. Keim

BackgroundDisaster risk reduction (DRR) has emerged as a core element of sustainable development. (UN/ISDR 2002). Reducing risk requires long-term engagement (O'Brien 2006), and the actual work of DRR is largely a task for local communities. (Schipper 2006). DRR shares some tenets with preventive medicine (Sidel 1992). As in preventive medicine, risk reduction calls for a basic attitude shift in the minds of many who traditionally get sick first and seek treatment later. The challenge for DRR, as applied to health, is to broaden the focus of disaster management from that of tertiary prevention, (response and recovery) to also emphasize primary and secondary prevention, (prevention, preparedness and mitigation).DiscussionThe role of the health sector spans across the spectrum of DRR to include prevention, mitigation and preparedness activities. DRR, as applied to health, is intended to prevent and/or reduce the negative health consequences of disaster hazards. This is accomplished by two means: hazard avoidance and vulnerability reduction. Health and medical volunteers at the community level can play an important role in reducing human vulnerability to disasters by: (1) reducing susceptibility – “healthy people” (2) reducing exposure to disaster hazards – “healthy homes; (Srinivasan et al. 2003); and (3) increasing resilience – “healthy communities”. Volunteers help to reduce exposures to disaster hazards through participation in population protection measures such as shelter-in-place, evacuation and mass care. They work to reduce susceptibility by participating in health care, health promotion, and immunization programs. Finally, volunteers may build resilience by way of their participation in community-level preparedness, response and recovery efforts. (Keim 2008)


2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Schlurmann ◽  
M. Siebert

Abstract. It was envisioned that the framework of the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS) should achieve an integral architecture and overarching technical design of an end-to-end tsunami early warning system (TEWS). In order to achieve this ambitious goal on a national and local level, a tailored set of capacity building measures has been started and implemented. The programme was meant and designed to meet requirements and urgent needs considering awareness raising campaigns, technical trainings and higher level education programs. These components have been integrated as complementary modules in order to ensure facilitating the early warning system to be operated, maintained and improved, and that institutions and people in coastal areas will respond adequately and timely in case of future tsunamis. Remarkable progress has been accomplished as well as programs and campaigns are being implemented in regard to a sustainable capacity development conducted by national institutions in Indonesia. Yet, local administrative and preparedness efforts on the Indonesian coastlines are still underdeveloped. This stems from the fact of missing links towards sustainable coastal zone management schemes on a broad local level. Yet, the demand and urgent need for an adequate and integrated disaster risk reduction and management addressing also other hazards in the region of interest is (still) substantial. Given the tragic loss of life and severe damages resulting from the December 2004 tsunami and recent series of severe earthquakes, the need for urgent mitigating action in the imperilled coastal regions of Sumatra and Java remains extremely high. The conceptual Capacity Building framework, its anticipated goals in the beginning of the project and, lately, the finally achieved objectives are promising. A significant contribution for mainstreaming scientific approaches and transfer methodological disaster risk reduction attempts towards other regions exposed to coastal hazards is still pending. Local authorities and researchers in tentative affected regions are now trained and enabled to disseminate and apply their knowledge and planning experience to other coastal regions in the area to help facilitating and multiplying effective disaster management plans and strategies. Yet, the Capacity Building framework within GITEWS also elucidated gaps in the early warning chain so that updated and to some extent re-iterated needs and demands in Capacity Building programs in any future research or development cooperation project are presented and discussed.


Author(s):  
Avid Leonardo Sari

This research was conducted on the Maribaya Timur school community in Lembang Subdistrict, West Bandung Regency, Indonesia, which is an active community in the area that is threatened by the potential for earthquake disasters due to the active Lembang fault. Disaster risk reduction efforts are pursued through increasing school-based preparedness that involves members of the school community, surrounding communities and various institutions that are associated with reducing the risk of school-based earthquake. Increasing preparedness against earthquakes focuses more on aspects of capacity building of school communities in reducing disaster risk, while aspects of vulnerability and threats have not been the focus of disaster risk reduction. The steps taken refer to the element of preparedness by aligning with the conditions, needs and potential that exist in the school community. Theoretically, if the school community has preparedness to face an earthquake disaster, the risk of earthquake disaster in the school community will be reduced so that it can minimize losses, victims and suffering that will be caused by the earthquake disaster.


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