On Wednesday, August 31, 2018, at SMAN 31 Jakarta, the community service team from the Geology and Geophysics study program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia, conducted a disaster awareness and mitigation session on floods, fires, and potential earthquakes >8 on the Richter Scale.
Students from several schools in the Matraman district, East Jakarta, attended this outreach session: SMKN 5 Jakarta, SMAN 22 Jakarta, SMA PSKD II Jakarta, SMA Fons Vitae 1 Jakarta, SMK Cipta Karya, SMK Pancasila, and SMAN 31 Jakarta. These schools represented six sub-districts within the Matraman district.
The outreach session invited Rasmid, M.Si. (BMKG Research and Development Center), Tri Indrawan, A.Md. AK. SH. M.Si. (Prevention and Preparedness Division, BPBD DKI Jakarta), and Iskandarsyah, M.Si. (Geophysics Lecturer, FMIPA UI) as speakers.
Rasmid, in his presentation, took the example of the Lombok earthquake disaster. He explained that many buildings in the area did not have supporting pillars under the surface, plus the type of soil did not absorb earthquake waves, so the earthquake in Lombok in August 2018 was felt very strongly and damaged many buildings.
“The potential for natural disasters like earthquakes can be predicted, but the day, time, or second of an earthquake cannot be predicted. Therefore, disaster education is crucial to increase preparedness.” awareness from the community,” explained Rasmid.
Furthermore, Tri Indrawan, Head of the Prevention and Preparedness Division of the Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), explained that the BPPD plays a crucial role when a disaster strikes in a region. BPBD is fully responsible for disaster management in the region, supported by related institutions and agencies.
“The search and rescue team will first assist survivors, so every individual must have the skills to conduct an independent evacuation when a disaster occurs,” Tri Indrawan added.
Iskandarsyah, a Geophysics lecturer at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Indonesia (UI), who is part of the UI community service team, emphasized the importance of having an evacuation route in Matraman District.
“According to research, areas with evacuation routes are more quickly evacuated than those without them. Therefore, our team is currently developing and constructing a disaster evacuation route, which we hope will be helpful to the community in the future,” Iskandar said.
Upon completion of this disaster outreach and mitigation program, it is hoped that new cadres will emerge from among students to disseminate disaster knowledge to their relatives, families, and surrounding communities, encouraging them to be more aware and prepared in the event of a disaster, in keeping with the event’s tagline: “Young, Alert, Disaster Resilient.”
Floods and fires may be predictable and avoidable, but earthquakes remain unpredictable. Therefore, never underestimate the power of a little knowledge about disasters, as we live in a world full of mysteries.
