The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has expedited strategies to tackle hydro-meteorological disasters caused by La Nina, which is expected to last until February 2022, the agency’s head, Lieutenant General Ganip Warsito, said.

The public must be educated on decision-making before a disaster by monitoring natural phenomena, especially when there is high intensity rain, he added.

“If it rains continuously and is very heavy for an hour and visibility is less than 30 meters, it is advisable for the public, especially (those) on the riverbanks, to be evacuated temporarily. There is no need to wait,” he explained here on Thursday.

Disaster mitigation must be done from the downstream and upstream, he said. Both the national and regional Disaster Mitigation Agencies must continuously warn the public of disaster risk, as informed by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency, he said.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency must also remain ready by preparing equipment, expediting early warning, and mitigation efforts, he added.

“Finally, in order for us to be able to protect the community, we really (need to) understand the potential and risk of disasters in each area,” Warsito added.

As part of efforts to anticipate natural disasters, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency has also prepared the INARisk platform, which has complete information on potential vulnerabilities, hazards, and risks across Indonesia, he informed.

“I urge all of my friends to pay attention to extreme weather information from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency and anticipate the impact of La Nina,” he remarked.

Of late, some areas in Indonesia are experiencing natural disasters triggered by heavy rains, including West Kalimantan, where several areas have been swallowed by floods. This has been going on for some time.

Source: Antara News