DRR in action around Merapi

As part of the combined KPDT-StIRRRD workshop on Human Recovery Needs Assessment and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) held in Yogyakarta, 24-26 November, we visited examples of DRR in action at a community level. The countryside around the active volcano of Merapi (see Map) is a very process active environment with many lahars and debris floods filling the river channels. There are about 270 gravel entrapment dams on the rivers running off the mountain and extraction of gravel is a large local industry.

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Tsunami Vertical Evacuation Building

P1030977Near Bengkulu, in Sumatra (see map), we visited a massive concrete construction in the process of being built. It is located in a heavily populated flat area about a kilometre from the coast. This is going to be the local  safe haven for people  to escape to when a tsunami threatens. It is a huge structure (see video) that towers above the surrounding sprawl of single story buildings.

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Earthquake recovery in Gol village Lombok

Earthquake damage, Gol
Earthquake damage, Gol

During our visit to North Lombok, we went on a field visit to a small ‘sub village’ called Gol, near Medana in the Tanjung sub  district.

About a year ago, Gol village suffered badly during a relatively small (M5.1) earthquake. 160 houses were completely destroyed by the ground shaking, which was described as mostly a single jolt that was all over in about 5 seconds. A total of about 6000 other houses were destroyed in the surrounding district.

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Molucca Sea Earthquake

The magnitude M7.1 earthquake located in the Molucca Sea yesterday reminded us of the hazards faced by the Indonesians on a daily basis. Fortunately, at a depth of 46 km, it seems it caused little damage. The closest large city was Mandano which experienced earthquake shaking at about MMIV according to the USGS.

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The StIRRRD team was en-route to Jakarta when it occurred,

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Palu Introductory Visit

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Palu workshop opening.

 

Palu workshop participants pose for a Group photo.
Palu workshop participants pose for a Group photo.

The StIRRRD team arrived in Palu on 9 November 2014 to kick-off the StIRRRD Activity. Palu is the capital of the Province of Central Sulawesi and is quite a large city with a population of about 350,000. The active Palu-Koro Fault has shaped the landscape, with earthquakes, landslides, and debris flows a common occurrence.

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Introducing StIRRRD – Strengthened Indonesian Resilience: Reducing Risk from Disasters

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Tsunami Aftermath

With a population of 250 million and frequent natural disasters, Indonesia has had to rely on   international aid to help it recover from natural disasters numerous times. Its economic growth has also suffered repeatedly. To combat this, the Indonesian government is taking action to reduce losses from natural disasters and to strengthen community resilience. It has made local governments responsible for managing hazards and risks. However, the ability of provincial and district governments to achieve this varies widely.

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