Readiness of Residents for Disasters with Disaster Risk Assessment Documents

There is a saying that if you act without a plan, you are actually planning to fail and if you plan without acting you have no right to expect change, and when you have made a plan you should immediately take small steps toward the expected goal. The sentence is in line with describing the government's efforts in one of the assisted villages of the Synergy project of Wahana Visi Indonesia in Pagedangan District, Tangerang Regency. To create a disaster-resilient village, this village compiled a Disaster Risk Study which was carried out on 6-8 September 2022.

Villagers said that floods often occur in the village. Floods have occurred four times in a row in 2020 due to the La Nina wind phenomenon.

“At that time the water was three meters high. Two hundred 200 families of our residents were affected and had to evacuate until the water receded,” said Koswara, the village head.

Based on a disaster risk study conducted with the residents, this village prioritizes capacity building for flood management, especially now that the rainy season has started where this village often receives flooding from Bogor and the Cirarab River, Banten.

Koswara said that so far the villagers have always been responsive and spontaneous to help each other during floods. Likewise, the village government has also actively coordinated with neighboring villages along the Cirarab river. However, he realized that more sustainable and effective steps were needed as a strategy and tactical training for all citizens.

“The activity of preparing a Disaster Risk Study facilitated by Sinergi Wahana Visi Indonesia is very relevant for our needs to become residents and villages that are prepared for flood disasters. With this document, God willing, every community group and the government will know who did what and where in the prevention, handling, and post-flood phases," he explained.

The Disaster Risk Assessment Document is the first step to promoting community awareness of the importance of disaster preparedness in the village. This document will then be used as an initial guide to determine priority activities that can be carried out with all residents and the village government and then become one of the bases for the establishment of the Disaster Risk Management Forum and its programs in the future.

This activity to prepare a Disaster Risk Assessment is the first time for residents and village governments. Koswara said that although he still had to be careful with several national and district policies, this study was in line with various state regulations. Koswara is optimistic that conducting a Disaster Risk Study, will open up opportunities to carry out various capacity building for disaster management for its citizens.

 "I appreciate the presence and collaboration with WVI, which since 2021 has invited us to various discussions about disaster management. The meetings and training from WVI that I participated in played a very important role in transforming my perspective on disaster management to be more prepared, I hope that the villagers also get the same message from the collaboration that we are running together," he concluded.

He is committed to overseeing a series of activities and document preparation for disaster management down to the regulation and budget level and ensuring that future programs are in line with the priority scale that has been agreed upon with the residents and the Tangerang district government.

Written by: Dina Mariana Lumban Tobing, Project Officer SinerGi Project Wahana Visi Indonesia