We must have learned about the Ring of Fire while we were in school. Geographically, Indonesia is situated in this region, specifically at the meeting point of three tectonic plates, making it vulnerable to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. In order for mitigation actions to be more effective and responsive, this vulnerability should also be reinforced by a more thorough awareness of disaster by the community.
Threat, catastrophe risk, and the disaster itself are at least three terms you will be familiar with when discussing disaster. It’s important to comprehend these three terms. To further explain disaster using the appropriate language, it is necessary to have a fundamental understanding of these three concepts.
First, a danger is the possibility for unfavorable natural or man-made occurrences, such as failures in the geological, biological, technical, environmental, or social spheres. The second phrase is “disaster risk,” which refers to the potential for injury or death, becoming a victim, or property damage or loss. While the definition of a disaster is an event or sequence of events that endangers and disrupts life as a result of both natural and artificial forces.
It is clear from the explanation above that disaster risk is something that can be managed and diminished. Two key strategies for defending society from the damaging consequences of disasters are disaster risk reduction and management. Pre-disaster, during-disaster, and post-disaster management are the three categories into which disaster risk management is typically subdivided. Pre-disaster management involves taking actions that are connected to preparedness, mitigation, and prevention. These three can be seen in a variety of good practices, including taking part in disaster risk reduction training that builds capacity, regularly practicing evacuation, creating preparedness, evacuation, and early warning plans, completing disaster risk assessments, and planting trees.
Moving on from pre-disaster, when a disaster has occurred, we also need to understand what practices need to be carried out in management during a disaster. This section is related to everyone’s response when a disaster occurs. Some of the practices that can be carried out include carrying out a quick review of both assessment and data collection, carrying out search and rescue as soon as possible, and activating an operation plan. Furthermore, post-disaster activities will relate to rehabilitation and reconstruction. Some specific things that can be done are improving facilities and infrastructure, building better facilities and infrastructure, and carrying out economic recovery and community livelihoods.
An action that is no less important and can be taken to understand the concept of disaster is the process of disaster risk reduction. This reduction can be done by avoiding risks that can be actualized, for example, by not building houses on hillsides that are prone to landslides, not throwing garbage carelessly into rivers, and preserving forests. Risk reduction and mitigation also need to be done by reducing the potential impacts that may occur, such as by building earthquake-resistant houses or increasing knowledge about the disaster itself.
Furthermore, the disaster risk reduction process can also be carried out by transferring the risk to another party, one of which is through fire insurance and other types of disaster insurance. Finally, accepting risk is another step that can be taken in efforts to reduce risk, namely by being prepared to accept the risks that will occur. Concrete steps can be applied to preparing standby bags, setting up a self-warning system, and preparing an evacuation plan through studies and rescue training.
The concept of disaster needs to be understood holistically. The disaster management paradigm also needs to focus not only on the emergency response process but also on disaster risk reduction. This preparedness is expected to become the basis for better facing and mitigating disaster risk.
