VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has urged all Indonesians to gather knowledge about disaster preparedness and obtain practical skills that can help them respond to natural disasters.

"To be able to save (yourself during a disaster), do not feel satisfied only with technology because it always has limitedness," the agency's head, Dwikorita Karnawati, said at an earthquake and tsunami mitigation forum here Friday.

Therefore, disaster mitigation that aligns with local wisdom can be more valuable in efforts to save the lives of people during an earthquake or a tsunami, she added.

Speaking at the forum, which was held to commemorate World Tsunami Awareness Day 2023, she highlighted the importance of public preparedness for bolstering disaster response in Indonesia's disaster-prone regions.

By strengthening their disaster preparedness, people living in disaster-prone areas can become more resilient to the impacts of catastrophes, she said.

The UN Secretary-General has launched "Early Warnings for All" to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from natural disasters in 2027, she pointed out.

Thus, 100 percent of people living in tsunami-prone regions will be ready to save themselves from a tsunami, she said, adding that BMKG is working closely with other agencies to improve public disaster awareness.

ANTARA reported earlier that with about 17 thousand islands scattered across the Indian-Pacific Ocean, the world's largest archipelagic country, Indonesia, is like a "supermarket for natural disasters."

The country has four disaster clusters: geology and volcanology (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis), hydrometeorology I (forest fires and drought), hydrometeorology II (flash floods, landslides, and coastal abrasion), and non-natural disasters (waste, epidemics, and technological failures).

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that between January 1 and December 19, 2021, for instance, a total of 2,931 disasters displaced 8.26 million people in Indonesia.

Regarding tsunamis, the Indonesian province of Aceh experienced the deadliest-ever earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami, on December 26, 2004.

The catastrophe, which also affected certain coastal areas in countries such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed at least 230 thousand people. (Antaranews)