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August
26, 2007

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Jakarta
Election

Disasters can be managed
quickly

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A telephone call from the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG) says a 6.3-Richter-scale tectonic earthquake is hitting
Yogyakarta -- the call reaches the disaster management crisis
room.

The operator receiving the information reports the
earthquake to a manager, who quickly forms a special team to
handle the disaster.

Team members search for the latest information related to
that disaster and contact the local disaster management
agencies to help affected regions.

While the earthquake team manages this disaster, more
information reaches the crisis room.

There is a bus accident in Medan, the death of a bird-flu
patient in Bali and a bombing in West Papua.

The operators report these matters to on-duty managers, who
form a special team for each incident.

The crisis room also disseminates information to
organizations who have requested news updates, including the
Australian Embassy and French news agency AFP.

This scenario on disaster-handling was demonstrated Friday
at the National Coordinating Board for Disaster Management.
The demonstration was held to train crisis room telephone
operators and the simulation was part of a cooperative program
between the Indonesian and French governments.

Deputy for Prevention and Preparedness of the national
board, Sugeng Triutomo, said the newly-established crisis room
would be responsible for tracking information, identifying a
crisis and deciding the appropriate management of disasters 24
hours a day.

"After we receive a disaster report, we will check on the
preparedness of local administrations or local disaster
management agencies," Sugeng said.

"If they need help, we will send national support.

"We also have a plan to build regional depots to store
logistical supplies and equipment. One depot should be able to
cover at least three provinces.

"That would facilitate disaster responses in rural areas."

Sugeng said the national office would also provide access
to things the regional offices could not afford, including
helicopters and airplanes.

In addition to the national office and Jakarta's regional
office, the government would build five regional offices
across West Sumatra, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, Bali,
Yogyakarta and Jambi. All of the offices would be funded by a
grant from the French government.

Bruno Maestracci, international project manager for Civipol
Conseil, a French agency under the French Home Ministry, said
when people were in crisis, the most important thing was
information.

He said the training demonstration represented exactly what
could happen any given day of the week.

"A lot of people will need information, while there is
other information coming in," Bruno said.

"In order to handle disasters, all agencies will have to
share information."

He said the database would help the national disaster board
coordinate aid and decide the appropriate responses to
disasters.

"It doesn't matter if the decision is good or bad .. it's
much worse take make no decision at all."

He also said the board should build a complete database on
all agencies.

"And after a big event, we should have a debriefing," Bruno
said.

"Everyone can share experiences on how to handle certain
disasters. But today nobody is doing this." (14)

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