Mitigation Education Crucial for Post-Tsunami Generations

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A man walks through a settlement that was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami waves in Lampare City, Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Province, Tuesday (28/12/2004).

BANDA ACEH, KOMPAS — Eighteen years after the terrible tsunami and earthquake disaster that hit Special Region of Aceh, disaster education must not weaken. The younger generations born after the tsunami must be educated to prepare for disasters.

On Monday (12/26/2022), Special Region of Aceh commemorated the 18-year anniversary of the tsunami and earthquake disaster. The peak of the commemoration took place in the mass grave complex of Siron, Aceh Besar regency. The commemoration was filled with joint prayers, testimonies of the victims, theater performances and tausiah (speeches) from religious leaders.

Acting Special Region of Aceh Governor Achmad Marzuki said the tsunami disaster taught many people to care about community. Without assistance from foreign countries and the world community, Aceh would not have recovered so quickly.

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The terrible tsunami and earthquake destroyed the coast of Special Region of Aceh. More than 160,000 people were killed, making the Special Region of Aceh tsunami and earthquake the deadliest in the modern history of Indonesia.

"Everyone came here regardless of religion, ethnicity and nation; all helped Aceh," Marzuki said. Therefore, he invited Acehnese citizens to stick together and dismiss differences in rebuilding Special Region of Aceh.

The chairperson of the Aceh Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (FPRB) Hasan Dibangka said that lately disaster-mitigation education began to weaken. Disaster simulation is not as massive as before. Disaster education should be strengthened and enter the school curriculum. "Not all children get training," he said.

Known to be ceremonial

Hasan said that lately the celebration of 26 December was no longer enthusiastic about mitigation, but rather, ceremonial. "In addition to prayer together to commemorate victims, education to the younger generations also needs to be strengthened," he said.

According to Hasan, the young generations who were born after the tsunami need disaster education because they have no experience in facing tsunami and earthquake disasters.

This year we independently conduct disaster education.

FPRB Aceh is a volunteer institution that focuses on disaster issues. FPRB is active in conducting disaster education for residents and school children. "This year we independently conduct disaster education," said Hasan.

In recent years, the implementation of the tsunami commemoration was held by the Aceh Culture and Tourism Office. Tsunami commemoration began to be packaged as a part of disaster-education tourism.

Hasan was worried that the tourist approach would obscure the spirit of mitigation.

KOMPAS/ZULKARNAINI

Residents and local officials pray and sow flowers at the Mass Grave of the tsunami victims in Siron Village, Want Jaya District, Aceh Besar District, Aceh on the 18th anniversary of the Aceh tsunami, Monday (26/12/2022)..

Head of the Aceh Culture and Tourism Office Almuniza Kamal said that now the education program is made in a more-attractive form, such as visual, art performances, educational attractions and disaster studies. This estuary of various activities strengthens preparedness. This year the theme is: Caring for Memory, Building Disaster Toughness. The selection of Siron mass graves as a location reminds residents that the devastating disaster took many victims, to encourage a culture of disaster consciousness.

"The Aceh government still pays attention to disaster-mitigation education. This is seen from a number of program activities organized by the work-instrument units," said Almuniza.

The budget allocation to BPBA should be greater so that disaster-education programs can be more intensive.

Head of the preparedness section of the Aceh Disaster Management Agency (BPBA) Fazli said that in the midst of budget constraints, mitigation education continues to be implemented. During 2022, tsunami simulations and education were conducted for 10 schools or around 300 students. However, there are still many schools that have not had the opportunity to conduct disaster simulations.

"The budget allocation to BPBA should be greater so that disaster-education programs can be more intensive," said Fazli.

Resilient against disaster

In addition to training students, BPBA trains residents through disaster-resilient families and disaster-resilient villages. However, the number of disaster-resilient villages is also still small.

Fazli argued that there needed to be a disaster-education policy. At present the legislature is discussing the Qanun or disaster-education regional bylaw. He hoped that the Qanun would be ratified soon so that disaster education in schools could be more structured.

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Abdul Latif (51), a resident of Alue Naga village, Syiah Kuala district, Banda Aceh, said that even though his village was destroyed by the 2004 tsunami, he remained in Alue Naga. He worked as a fisherman so he could not be separated from the sea.

He followed a disaster-resilient family training held by BPBA. Now he already knows the evacuation procedures if there is an earthquake.

"After the earthquake, I will wait for information from BMKG [Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency]; but if the earthquake is powerful, I will try to get out of the village to the evacuation site," Latif said.

Vulnerable zones

During the 2005-2009 rehabilitation and reconstruction process, the government failed to relocate residents from the Special Region of Aceh tsunami danger zones. At that time there was a plan that 500 meters from the coast would be used as a free zone of settlements. However, the victims insisted on going back to vulnerable areas. The Aceh-Nias Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Agency (BRR) was forced to build residents’ houses in the same area devastated by the tsunami.

Later, housing growth in the vulnerable zones was more rapid. Based on monitoring, along the coastline of Aceh from west to east, it is full by settlements. More than a million people dwell in the region.

According to Fazli, in the current context it is no longer relevant to talk about vulnerable zones that are re-inhabited. However, what must be strengthened is the preparedness aspect. Residents who live in vulnerable zones must be aware that disaster lurks at any time. No one knows when disaster will come.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.