Coinciding with Disaster Preparedness Day, which is celebrated every April 26, The Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) for Security, Safety and Environmental Health (K3L) Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a series of activities to increase public awareness, especially the civitas, of the importance of anticipating disaster emergencies. These activities included campaigns, checking safety facilities and infrastructure, and self-rescue and self-evacuation drills.
Head of UPT K3L UI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Sjahrul Meizar Nasri, M.Sc., said that this series of activities is a form of implementation of Permendikbud Number 33 of 2019 concerning the Implementation of a Disaster Safe Education Unit Program. “In this case, the campus is tasked with carrying out disaster mitigation and creating a healthy and disaster-prepared environment. This effort has led UI to obtain 5 Star in the Healthy University Rating System (HURS) 2022 from the ASEAN University Network-Health Promotion Network (AUN-HPN),” he said.
The series of disaster education began with the “Hydometeorological Disaster Preparedness Early Warning Workshop” held on Wednesday (24/4), at the UI Council Hall. Dr. Agie Wandala Putra, M.Sc., head of the Operations Management and Special Services Team of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), who was present as a guest speaker at the event, reviewed the importance of disaster awareness, especially in relation to current weather conditions.
He said, “Disasters that have occurred in recent years have caused casualties, damage to homes, and large economic losses. One of them is the Seroja Tropical Cyclone that occurred in 2021 in East Nusa Tenggara Province. In fact, if early warnings are carried out more massively and comprehensively, victims and losses can be reduced. Therefore, it is important for us to implement forecasts and early warning systems.”
Early warning for all or early detection can be done independently by the community through several pillars, namely disaster risk knowledge, monitoring detection or prediction of hazards, dissemination of early warning information, and readiness for rapid response to all conditions. There are several groups that are prioritized during rescue, namely infants and children, pregnant/breastfeeding mothers, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
On that occasion, Dr. Agie also provided weather monitoring practice to the participants through the BMKG Info application. Several features are used to monitor the weather independently, including weather satellites to see the intensity of rain in an area; weather radar to observe the weather in real time and obtain early warnings; and a land and forest early warning system.
In addition to the workshop, UPT K3L and the UI Emergency Response Team also held a disaster response simulation at the UI University Administration Center (PAU) Building and the Integrity Laboratory and Research Center (ILRC) Building, on Friday (26/4). The earthquake emergency mini-drill was conducted without evacuation to the assembly point. All participants followed self-protection instructions using the drop, cover, and hold on method when the earthquake was simulated. The method directed participants to take cover under a table or chair, protect their head, and hold on to the legs of the table or chair.
On this Disaster Preparedness Day, UI also held a hydrant operation exercise for the Emergency Response Team. The entire series aims to increase public awareness and vigilance for the creation of a Disaster Resilient Indonesia. National Disaster Preparedness Day has been commemorated since 2017 and is a momentum to build a culture of disaster awareness so people are able to evacuate independently.
