The Capacity of Indonesia to Face Disasters

Do you know which country that have a lot number of disaster? Is it Japan? Or
Hawaii? Yes, they are. But, do you ever think that our country included? Indonesia is one of
country that potentially hit by many disaster. It is happen because Indonesia located in the
equator zone with various morphology, from the shoreline to the high mountain range. This
morphology is so affected by geological factor, especially by movement activity of the active
tectonic plates, i.e. Eurasian Plate, Australian Plate, and Pacific Ocean Plate. The movement
of these plates caused the forming of earthquake lane, active volcanic series, and geological
fractures that make those area dangerous of earthquakes and landslides. The presence of
disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flood or tsunami, landslides, etc. make
Indonesia into a highly hazard potency area. Unfortunately, every disasters happened, it was
always took many victims.
We still remember tsunami that hit Aceh in 2004. Over 170,000 peoples were killed
and about 500,000 were left homeless by this 30 meters height tsunami. On September 2009,
an earthquake with magnitude 7,6 Richter occurred in West Sumatra and took about 1,100
peoples life. Then, one of the most active volcano in Indonesia, Merapi, erupted on October
2010. The effect of its eruption caused about 350 peoples died. There is some factors that
caused a lot number of victim in every disaster, such as the number of scientist who study
those natural phenomena, the lack of function of the Early Warning System (EWS), and
minimum knowledge of people to face a disasters.
Indonesia does not have enough geologist or geophysician yet. It is not proportional to
the quantity of the disaster happened. Whereas, their role is so important to prevent the
increasing number of victim. Due to their study about natural incident on this Earth, include
the disasters, they can prepared a preventing and anticipating action to the disasters. They can
order the area by the hazard potency. If an area highly risked, peoples can not build a
settlement there. They also arrange what action to do by the peoples when disasters happen.
Basicly, geologists and geophysicians predict what will happen to the Earth by observing the
natural indications and events happened.
Other factor is the EWS that does not installed in every vulnerable zone in all regions
of Indonesia. Peoples do not know when the disasters will occur in their area. This thing also
often does not worked well. Sometimes, EWS did not worked when the disasters came out, or
the EWS worked and made peoples into panic but there was nothing happened. So, the
improvement of this technology should be done to the better situation.
 Our knowledge bring us to the right actions. If the peoples know what to do when the
earthquakes or eruptions happens, of course there will not so many victims. Our mind have to
response quickly to the sign of calamity. There was many stories of families that lose their
member because he/she was trapped inside the house or building or struck down by a solid
material when ran around outside the high building. This simple knowledge is so important to
save our life and face the disasters.
Education and technology can not stop these natural phenomena from occurring. But,
it can help us prepare for the possibilities.