Expert of Volcanology Universitas Brawijaya (UB), Prof. Sukir Maryanto, S.Si., M.Sc., Ph.D. equips students who are currently conducting the Humanitarian Project of Independent Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) Semeru with the concepts of School Watching and Town Watching. The debriefing was conducted online on Wednesday (23/2/2022).
In the Webinar, Prof. Sukir hopes that students who are currently participating in MBKM Semeru program will issue a guideline on disaster mitigation for schools or the general public.
“Currently, why do natural disasters such as the Mount Semeru Eruption have many victims? Because people do not understand about disaster mitigation efforts,” said Prof. Sukir.
Prof. Sukir added, the concept of disaster mitigation in Japan can be imitated by Indonesian People.
Lessons for anticipating natural disasters in Japan have been taught in schools even since they were in the Early Childhood Education (PAUD) class.
“Students will also have to be like that. Provide understanding in schools about handling when a disaster occurs. You have to be able to give an understanding in a language they can understand,” he said.
Disaster mitigation efforts in schools or School Watching is a method or process to identify elements of schools that are at risk, analyze the impact of risks, and find solutions from the problems when a disaster occurs.
“When we make school watching, we can take a walk through the school to identify elements that can have an impact on disasters such as stairs. With these efforts, we can also know where the safest place in the school is? We identify it and then we produce it in an image in the form of a school hazard map and a school evacuation map,” he said.
Not only in schools, disaster mitigation should also be carried out for the general public or Town Watching.
Town Watching Disaster Management is a program for people who live in an area, namely residents, children, or students by traveling around the area to see and understand dangerous places when a disaster occurs as well as facilities for safety. Then think of their own anticipatory steps against danger in the event of a disaster.
Town Watching aims to increase public awareness of disaster management, identify the vulnerability of the environment and its surroundings, identify community capacities or resources that can be used when a disaster occurs, as well as identify the main problems in the community and find solutions to these problems.
The concept of implementing Town Watching can be done by gathering together, dividing groups, going around the neighborhood, grouping photos and discussing.
“With town watching, people can be aware and have a solution if a disaster occurs,” he said. (OKY/ Humas UB/ Trans. Iir).
