Girikerto village which lies in Sine district, Ngawi regency, East Java is one of the areas prone to natural disasters. A number of natural disasters such as forest fires and landslides still occur in this village on the slopes of Mt. Lawu. Therefore, disaster mitigation program needs to be prepared for society against the disasters.
One of the efforts was made by a group of students of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) as a part of Community Service and Empowerment Program (KKN-PPM) UGM. They provided training and disaster simulation for the residents of Girikerto village.
Coordinator of the group, Rahina Muhammad Aji, said that the area is included in the natural disaster-prone areas. Through training and disaster simulation, Girikerto Village residents are expected to know more about the disaster potential. In addition, the training are expected to increase the understanding and knowledge related to the community disaster mitigation system.
"We informed them about disaster mitigation system, such as what should be done to prevent and recover from a disaster," he explained on Tuesday (6/9) at UGM.
In the training, they cooperated with the local disaster mitigation agency (BPBD) of Ngawi, Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI), and the Police. Training includes counseling related to first aid, disaster relief, post-disaster health management, as well as the set up of public kitchen and tents. In addition, the residents had the opportunity to perform a disaster simulation, setting up tents and public kitchen.
The training is getting a positive response from local residents. As expressed by the Village Head of Girikerto, Slamet Riyadi, this activity could develop the society’s knowledge towards disaster mitigation system. By knowing so, communities could be better prepared against disasters and how to stay safe.
Besides increasing the awareness of the local residents to be more responsive to disasters, UGM students also sought to increase public knowledge in the fields of agriculture, livestock, and the environment. Through programs that were conducted in August, they encourage the residents to maximize various local potential.