VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

In commemorating Disaster Preparedness Day on April 26, the National Disaster Management Agency-BNPB conducts various activities. Head of BNPB, Willem Rampangilei explained, Disaster Preparedness Day is commemorated because Indonesia is one of disaster-prone countries. In a disaster evacuation rehearsal held at BNPB building, Tuesday, April 24, he said, 215 million people live in earthquake, flood, tsunami, volcano eruption and landslide prone areas. The number of catastrophic has increased from year to year. He noted there were 2,772 disasters in 2017. He also said that disaster and disaster management is a complex and multidimensional problem, then there must be collaboration between society, government and business world. He stressed the importance of community participation in disaster management. In managing disaster, BNPB is always based on the community.

“Disaster management efforts should be community-based. Well this is what we do. We should be able to build community participation. One, we always give socialization about the understanding that our country is prone to disaster, then he must understand the hazard around him, after he understands it when receiving an early warning how to respond,” said Willem Rampangilei.

Willem further explained, the community-based disaster response must be a national movement. On Monday, April 24, BNPB conducts a series of activities to commemorate Disaster Preparedness Day as an effort to build awareness and community participation in disaster management. Willem said, one could survive from disaster 34% because of individual capacity, 32% of families and 28% because of the people around him. Therefore, the society plays the most important role in disaster management. (VOI/SEKAR/DP)