The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture has highlighted the importance of early warning system readiness for supporting disaster mitigation.
“One of the important aspects in disaster mitigation is an early warning system that is able to provide information quickly,” the ministry’s deputy for the coordination of regional development equity and disaster mitigation Sudirman said when contacted on Wednesday.
The relevant ministries and agencies need to ensure the readiness of the early warning system in order to disseminate information that can be received by the public quickly, he explained.
“The presence of an early warning system is crucial to support disaster risk reduction efforts because it can boost the community preparedness in dealing with disasters,” he said.
Sudirman also emphasized the need for disseminating information and educating the community so that people can understand warnings.
“The relevant ministries and agencies need to provide education to the community so that they can understand the warning information conveyed and take the necessary actions after receiving the information,” he explained.
In addition, he underlined the need to provide actual climate and weather information to the community.
“Actual climate and weather information is really needed by the community, especially ahead of the peak of the 2022 rainy season,” he said.
The Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast that the rainy season in Indonesia will peak around December 2022 to January 2023.
“The community is also advised to continuously monitor weather information and early warnings issued by the relevant institution,” he said.
Communities must also increase alertness and take the necessary steps when a disaster occurs.
“For example, self-evacuating to the nearest safe point, helping vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities. In addition, preparing disaster preparedness equipment such as first aid kits, adequate logistics, and flashlights for lighting,” he expounded.
Source: Antara News