As For Mount Agung Anticipation, IDEP Foundation Organized Workshop of Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction

Participants were listening to Ade Andreawan, facilitator of Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction workshop at IDEP Foundation Training Center (Photo: IDEP Media)

Ade, Director of IDEP Foundation, was the facilitator of this workshop. The workshop itself was organized in terms of anticipating Mount Agung’s status in Karangasem regency, Bali, which has been downgraded to Level 3 since 29 October after being previously holding up on Level 4. As it reported by the Bali’s Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG), the activity of Mount Agung has triggered number of earthquakes around the mountain since October 19. Up to October 27, the earthquakes still continued to happen in 100-300 times a day baseline. It has triggered a massive evacuation of affected people covered in the Disaster Prone Area (KRB) of Gunung Agung. Based on the latest data of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) up to 3 October, number of evacuees has increased to 141,072 people in 414 evacuee camps in 9 regencies or cities in Bali Province.

(Photo: IDEP Media)

To response it, Ade stated that the workshop organized by IDEP Foundation aimed to facilitate volunteers who are working in the Disaster Prone Areas of Mount Agung to disseminate informations on how to response Mount Agung threat. At the same direction, it was also expected to be a capacity building of PRBBM for those volunteers in terms of empowering communities in any disaster prone areas. Especially for Indonesia which is very vulnerable to disasters. "Such a disaster hypermarket," Ade explained.

During the workshop, participants were invited to share informations and knowledge  in terms of reducing the risk of volcanic disaster which is unpredictable. As revealed by Ade, the character of volcano disaster is unique. It is different from any other disasters such as tsunami which has an early warning system. Therefore, any part of elements involved in volcano disasters must have adequate knowledge and informations. By doing that, disasters could be anticipated as best and as early as possible. And thus, the risks could be reduced to a very minimum scale.

A participant was looking to poster of Disaster Prone Zone of
Mount Agung as one of Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction
Toolkits (Photo: IDEP Media)

With a number of experiences in a disaster management, Ade presented IDEP’s research that have been summarized in PRBBM Toolkits. It contains community-based disaster risk reduction manuals, maps of alert zone, disaster-related forms, disaster-related photo and video in other places, comics about volcanic, posters and banners of important informations, specifically relating to Mount Agung which last erupted in 1963. By sharing over to participants, those toolkits with it’s knowledge and informations were expected to be distributed to wider communities. In such a way, community could ideally become more self-sufficient prepared to manage any disaster to come.

(Photo: IDEP Media)

The workshop that took place at IDEP Foundation Training Center was attended by 17 representatives from volunteer organizations and groups which have so far been involved in responding to Mount Agung. They represented Kopernik, Agung Siaga, Pramuka Peduli, East Bali Property Project (EBPP), Volunteer Group of Datah Village, and representative of Tulamben Village.