Disaster Risk Reduction Training in Amal and Saloya

To encourage the community to have disaster preparedness, IDEP partnered with YPAL Poso to run a Disaster Risk Reduction (PRB) training in Amal and Saloya villages on July 10, 2019. Both villages are located in Donggala district. When the 7.4 M earthquake hit Palu, Sigi, and Donggala in September last year, the two remote villages were also badly affected. Damaged road access and unreachable telecommunications signals left the residents isolated for two weeks.

Group assignment on mapping disaster-prone area and evacuation plan (Photo: Fadhil Abdullah)

The training was participated by a number of village stakeholders such as community leaders, religious leaders, women leaders, traditional leaders, village midwives, youth organizations, the military, and village government. With this training, they are expected to better understand about the disaster and then be able to prepare themselves earlier.

Participants from the two villages (Photo: Fadhil Abdullah)

Through discussion, they were invited to learn from their experiences that had just been passed. Ultimately when they were isolated and have difficulty getting help. One alternative solution offered to them is the establishment of a Community Disaster Management Group (CDMG). Through the CDMG, the community has a collaborative platform to map disaster threat and prone areas, identify potential villages, determine evacuation plans and all needs followed, and formulate steps that must be taken to reduce the risk of disasters around them.

Facilitator Ade Andreawan is sharing about the importance of CDMG (Photo: Fadhil Abdullah)

Ade Andreawan, a facilitator from IDEP, also shared a number of experiences in disaster management in other regions in Indonesia as a comparison. A number of films related to disaster management were also screened to extend the discussion. Especially the film about how the CDMG assisted by IDEP works before, during, and after the disaster. To add references, they were also equipped with the modules of Community-based Disaster Management and Core Humanitarian Standards.

Groups of participants are sketching village maps (Photo: Fadhil Abdullah)

In the practice session, they were invited to work in groups to sketch village maps, identify disaster threats and risks in the village, and determine which areas were considered safe for evacuation. The map is then discussed together. The facilitator also introduces a number of first aid that can be used in emergency situations by using available local resources around them. For example, making stretchers out of bamboo, doors, blankets, sarung, chairs or other items they can found around. Another example, using bamboo and old newspapers for first aid for broken bones victims.

Thanks to Caritas Austria and Give2Asia for supporting this effort. (Ed)