Yogyakarta – Head of UGM Center for Disaster Studies (PSBA), Prof. Dr. Junun Sartohadi, M.Sc., said that the road at Jumoyo area connecting Yogyakarta and Semarang is a sedimentation area. Therefore, when cold lava flood hit Putih River, automatically the river surface will be higher and will overflow as happened on Sunday night (9/1). “The area is actually sedimentation area, so cold lava will certainly pass through it during floods,” said Junun, Monday (10/1).
An event like a tsunami, she said, was telegenic. Or as Chris Bury of ABC News said: “The pictures themselves proved unusually powerful and compelling, giving the disaster an epic, almost Biblical quality.”
The use of audio and voice heightens the melodramatic nuances of the coverage by adding suitable music and also by recording witness and survivor accounts to personalize reportage.
By repeating those powerful images (and sounds) in a constant manner, 24 hours a day, Indonesian televisions are building a narrative of the disaster — not as news but as a movie.
In this context, the victims’ pain only has value if it fascinates or overwhelms the audience. This kind of reporting might benefit relief services or emergency response organizations; pictures of victims easily attract sympathy and donations.
However, the melodramatic tone of the reporting frequently obscures the “vérité” nature of the reporting and prevents viewers from understanding the event holistically.
Besides highlighting the case, Junun Sartohadi also regretted the central government’s policy which he assessed as “spoiling” disaster affected people, especially at Merapi. The Government should not spontaneously give cash as compensation to survivors. The government can give loans or other facilities. “If they “spoil” them with compensation, the survivors will be reluctant to leave the disaster areas and became not independent because they are guaranteed to receive compensation from the central government,” Junun explained.
On the other hand, related to a statement of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a working meeting in early 2011 saying that regions have not been ready to face disasters, according to Junun, this statement makes sense though it cannot be generalized. To handle Merapi disaster, according to Junun, governments of Magelang and Sleman Regency have done optimally.
Unpreparedness of several regional governments in facing natural disasters may be caused by several things such as budgeting and personnel joining the Regional Board of Disaster Management. “It may well be that the personnel in Disaster Management Board are merely chosen from other units, so their capacity and skill do not suit the task. Besides, if there is no disaster, the budget to manage natural disasters is not prepared,” said the man born in Yogyakarta, 18 November 1967.
As it is known that cold lava flood occurred on Sunday night (9/1), blocking road access to Magelang-Yogyakarta and causing hundreds of residents in Salam and Ngluwar sub-districts isolated. Besides, hundreds of people in six hamlets are isolated. The six hamlets are Sirahan, Glagah, Gemampang, Gebayan, Trayem, and Sabrang Kali.