Several hundred students of Syiah Kuala University (USK) in Banda Aceh City joined a disaster simulation drill on Sunday to improve their preparedness and response capability.
The disaster drill, conducted to commemorate World Tsunami Awareness Day 2023, was part of the university’s efforts to reduce casualties during natural disasters, USK Rector Professor Marwan stated.
During the disaster simulation drill, the students were trained to implement disaster preparedness and response, including how to handle victims and prepare logistics in disaster management, he remarked.
Meanwhile, Dean of USK’s Faculty of Medicine, Professor Maimun Syukri, said the presence of health workers is so important during a disaster that the drill participants were introduced to the crucial aspects of management and treatment of disaster victims.
The disaster simulation drill involved students from the faculties of medicine, dentistry, nursing, and pharmacy, he remarked, adding that the participants were also trained to evacuate and help injured victims.
Regarding the disaster prevention and mitigation efforts, Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati has earlier highlighted the importance of gathering knowledge about disaster preparedness and obtaining practical skills.
According to Karnawati, disaster mitigation that aligns with local wisdom can be more valuable in the efforts to save the lives of people during an earthquake or a tsunami.
Hence, she highlighted the importance of public preparedness for bolstering disaster response in Indonesia’s disaster-prone regions.
ANTARA had reported earlier that with about 17 thousand islands scattered across the Indian-Pacific Ocean, the world’s largest archipelagic country, Indonesia, is like a “supermarket for natural disasters.”
The country has four disaster clusters: geology and volcanology (volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis), hydrometeorology I (forest fires and drought), hydrometeorology II (flash floods, landslides, and coastal abrasion), and non-natural disasters (waste, epidemics, and technological failures).
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that between January 1 and December 19, 2021, for instance, a total of 2,931 disasters had displaced 8.26 million people in Indonesia.
Regarding tsunamis, the Indonesian province of Aceh experienced the deadliest-ever earthquake, which was followed by a tsunami on December 26, 2004.
The catastrophe, which also affected certain coastal areas in countries, such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and India, reportedly killed at least 230 thousand people.
Source: Antara News
