Today starts the 3rd day of the EcoDDR summer classes, and after a bright and not-so-early wake up, I went to prepare myself for another great day and lectures to look forward to. It first started with such a great breakfast that i had, before me and my friends walked together, while discussing among ourselves about the topics that we learned on day 1 and 2. We arrived at the faculty building like after 10 minutes of walking, and went into the lecture’s hall, and waited before our first class starts.
First lecture session
First lecture session was given out by Dr Bevaola Kusumasari from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), and the title of her lecture was Disaster Management and Public Policy in Indonesia. Her lecture revolves around disaster handling management and policies in Indonesia. In retrospect, there were 6 disasters that occasionally happened in Indonesia; Cyclones, Droughts, Earthquakes, Floods, Landslides and Volcanoes. She highlighted the importance of having an organized disaster management plan to prevent things from worsening, lessening panics among publics, and to mitigate damages caused. She also explained the role of each agencies, local governments and central governments in tackling any disasters-caused incidents and accidents based on the disaster management plan. I was fascinated by her deep explanation about disasters handling, and how each party, including publics and normal people too, playing important roles in ensuring that disasters are handled in the right and proper way, as lined out in the disaster management plan. It was interesting to know that people like me too, plays an important role in helping, no matter how small my role may be, in keeping the disaster management plan well and on-going.
We took a coffee break after the session finished in like 1 ½ hour later, before resuming with the 2nd lecture session.
Second lecture session
The second lecture session was given out by Dr M. Ali Mashuri from the Agriculture Office in Brebes district, which is located at Central Java, titled Valuation of Livelihood Resilience Index, using Brebes district as his case study. The main center around his lecture was about empowering human’s institution through a series of strategies. The strategies aimed at building flexible communities that can increase their lives, economic and capital status, while at the same time adapting to the flow of nature itself. Nature is not static, and changes from time to time. Changes can be from the environment itself, or from disasters. Whatever it may be, people still need to build their lives around these, and raise their economies while living side by side with the nature. Among the strategies discussed in the lecture includes mitigation, which revolves around moving dangers from nature through ways that won’t harm or impact the natures tremendously. Mitigating the dangers caused by natures allow people to expand their livings in much more risky areas, like beside the sea, where storms and high tides could easily swipe houses and buildings away. Other strategies discussed include a more nature-friendly infrastructure planning that incorporates environment into the construction planning, also raising economies based on the abundant natural resources of the area. People shouldn’t against the nature in building up their lives and wealth, as it will only attract disaster turning towards them. Instead through this lecture, the best way is to turn back the risk, and live in harmony with the nature itself. As we treat the nature in more harmonic and kind way, the nature itself will blesses us with happier and more ever-growing lives that lasts through many generations.
The session ended around 12 noon, and its lunch time!!
It’s lunch break, so me and my friends went out for lunch together. We had satay and tofu cooked with soy sauce. It was truly delicious, and really filled up my unsatisfied cravings for Indonesian foods. ?
After that we were brought up by the ECODDR committee to have a short but wonderful sightseeing at the rooftop level balcony. The view was simply marvellous. I get to watch the sights around the university areas, and even took a few snaps of it. My Instagram was filled with moments I took while viewing. We even took a snap of our group together in action, before we had our individual photo session conducted by the committee.
It’s lunch break, so me and my friends went out for lunch together. We had satay and tofu cooked with soy sauce. It was truly delicious, and really filled up my unsatisfied cravings for Indonesian foods. ?
After that we were brought up by the ECODDR committee to have a short but wonderful sightseeing at the rooftop level balcony. The view was simply marvellous. I get to watch the sights around the university areas, and even took a few snaps of it. My Instagram was filled with moments I took while viewing. We even took a snap of our group together in action, before we had our individual photo session conducted by the committee.
Third lecture session
The third lecture session started at 1.00pm, and was given out by Dr Rijanta titled Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction in the Tropical Region. His lecture explains how community can help to manage, conserve and restored the ecosystem to reduce the disaster risk, while at the same time achieving sustainable lives, and expanding community development. Sounds a little bit complicated from the description given
But after listening to his lecture, it all makes sense to me. People shaped the landscapes and expand their development in and out based on what they thought and planned, but for this one, it is the complete opposite. As opposed to people doing the change towards the nature, it is the nature that shaped the people to live and change accordingly. This is important because despite all the disasters and calamity that may happened around them, people still need to live and grow. People still need to build their lives, and raise their economic status no matter how harsh the areas that they lived may possibly be.
Natures has proven itself to be unpredictable, but nature too cares. It is the duty of the people that lives to shape their lives and economy around the nature itself. This itself creates a unique kind of lifestyles that not only can build their lives and economic like any other regions, but also being well prepared and adaptable to nature’s changes and disasters. What this means is that, when disaster happens, it’s not the end of the road, and they may continue rebuilding their lives as usual. Most of these communities that lives through adapting with nature and disaster cycles have unique economics unlike those in much more developed areas. Despite all that, they still produced goods that are in high qualities, while at the same time keeping the natures in check.
All these cannot be done without cooperation among the people that lives within the communities. These people understood well that nothing can be gained through self-effort. Everything requires participation and works from every people within the communities itself. Being shown with the images of these people living their lives around the circle of dangers surrounding them somewhat raises my motivation to push my lives forward, and becoming strong to pursue whatever that I have dreamed and wanted in my lives. ?
We then had our coffee breaks at around 2.30pm, and while waiting for the next lecture, we even played a game organized by the committee called Black Magic. The game was simple, something akin to playing guess-what’s-missing game. Despite the short waiting period, the game itself was fun and enjoyable. Everyone had their enjoyment, and everyone had their laughs.
Last lecture session
The second lecture session was given out by Dr Estuning Tyas, also from UGM, and the title of her lecture was Preparedness and Syn-disaster Crisis Management, and her lecture focused mainly on Yogyakarta areas, and how disasters were handled and managed accordingly in here. She explained the district-based distribution of disasters and natural hazards that have been recorded so far in Yogyakarta, with earthquake and volcanic eruption being the two main highlights of the lecture session, as most of the stuffs she explained revolved around these 2 calamitous and catastrophic natural disasters. These two disasters alone tolled up many unwanted records which breaks my heart (and many others too I’m sure during the class) in pain and sadness, and that alone piqued my interest in understanding the management plan more. Well-organized disaster management plan helps in lessening the after-effects of disasters, not just in Yogyakarta, but also in other countries as well. Through preparedness plan, well executed emergency exercises, thoroughly thought evacuation plans and training and a coordinated warning system, no disasters that cannot be managed and handled. Disasters happened, the damage was done and nothing can be done about that. But in relieving the damage and pain caused as minimum as possible, this preparedness and syn-disaster plan plays a critical factor. And this cannot be done single-handedly, as it requires the participations and efforts of not only local authorities and agencies, but also helps from other countries as well. And this is what being humanitarian is about, to help each other when in troubled. For disaster is the work of nature that everyone should be aware of, care and managed together.
Before the session ends, we were given a short brief about tomorrow’s activities by the committee, before they handed out t-shirts to each one of us. The t-shirts looked big on me, and I wish they gave me a smaller size one.. but oh well, can’t complain about it. More importantly, I can’t wait to see what and how tomorrow’s activities going to be. ?
As I typed this journal, I feel like today is full of stuffs that taught me what living is all about. It’s not just about changes within me that coursing in through my live, but it is also about myself with the nature itself. I learned a lot from today’s lectures, and I still feel like I’m not prepared for these scenarios shown during the lectures. But I do want to believe that, should these things come to me (oh I wish it wouldn’t), I will be as composed as i can possibly be. Panic is the terror for those who’re unprepared, and calmness is the gain of people who foresees and prepares through and through. Yeap, I believe I can.
Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.