Mitigation is the action to decrease the risks that become the aftermath of disasters. Disasters are mostly destructive. The severity of the loss can be high, including the death toll. Every country has its way of preparing, including the actions for disaster mitigation in Indonesia.
Although the purpose of mitigation is the same for every disaster, the method of mitigation itself is always different. For example, the mitigation for a tsunami is different from a volcano explosion. Thus, what kind of mitigation does Indonesia have to avoid the loss?
The Disaster Mitigation in Indonesia
Mitigation for flood
The government should prepare prevention for flooding, such as making maps of vulnerable areas, growing more plants, and making a policy on deforestation. The main cause of flooding in Indonesia varies according to the area. Yet, it can be from the bad drainage system.
Sometimes, floods are very hard to avoid because of the intensity of the rain. An early warning system could be effective for people to prepare themselves for evacuation. The government needs reliable devices, such as flood sensors and early warning systems that announce potential disasters.
From the community, the mitigation is working together to clean the area of their residence and rivers near their place. When the government announces disaster mitigation in Indonesia, they should follow the guidelines to protect themselves, such as going to safer shelters and fixing their area.
Mitigation for earthquake
The most important mitigation to face the earthquake is to build houses and buildings with standardized materials. They should be strong when the shake of the earthquake comes. Thus, everyone should recognize the vulnerability of the area they are staying in.
Everyone who lives in an area that has many potential earthquakes should prepare the kit for evacuation as well. It includes food, clothes, medication, and documents. If the earthquake is still mild yet easy to be aware of, check the gas pipes and electricity to avoid further damage.
The awareness of disaster mitigation in Indonesia is low, including earthquake incidents. Most people will go outside the building and head to open spaces like parks or fields since it is safer. For better safety, an early warning system might be needed to increase public safety.
Mitigation for Tsunami
After a big tsunami hit Aceh Province in 2004, Indonesia started to realize that mitigation for tsunamis is very important. Many areas in the country are in The Ring of Fire, so the potential to have tsunami waves after the earthquake is high. The government installed sensors for the Early Warning System.
The government also educates the community who live on the coastline, especially the West of Sumatra Island and the South of Java Island. They also get certain guidelines for safety mitigation during a big earthquake, so they can evacuate themselves to a higher area to avoid the tsunami.
Mitigation for Volcano Eruption
Many people in Indonesia live near volcanoes, such as Merapi Mt., Sinabung Mt., and other types of volcanoes spread all over the country. Since it is their home, the government focuses on spreading awareness during the eruption. They create evacuation routes, so they know where to go after that.
The volcanology agency under BMKG also always monitors the activity of each volcano in Indonesia. If they find out there is an abnormal activity that may trigger an eruption, they will spread this information to the people. The government should always improve its communication system for better efficiency.
Mitigation for Wildfire
The hot spots are easier to know through drone monitoring. This is the first step of mitigation, so each hot spot can be analyzed for the causes and the severity. The rescue team should be monitoring closer to the areas that are affected by the wildfire as they try to fight the fire.
Should the wildfire be big, the community who lives near the affected area will be evacuated as soon as possible. The smoke and fog from the fire are very dangerous to their health. People also cannot do many things because of this aftermath. Worse, the fire spreads rapidly and destroys the property.
Since disaster mitigation in Indonesia should always be strict, the government should rely on excellent devices for the early warning system. An SMS broadcaster device can be part of the EWS, so people can be aware about disasters around them. The aim of mitigation can be reached with this device.
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