UNAIR NEWS – The Indonesian archipelago lies at the junction of three of the world’s major tectonic plates: the Indo-Australian, Eurasian, and Pacific plates. This natural condition inherently carries the potential for constant seismic activity, such as megathrust earthquakes. Responding to this, the Disaster Management and Mitigation expert from Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), Dr Hijrah Saputra ST MSc, emphasized the importance of shifting the public’s focus from panic toward strengthening preparedness capabilities.
Dr Saputra noted that the government already has awareness in disaster preparedness management, one of which is the Early Warning System (EWS). According to him, this technology is a significant advancement for Indonesia, but there are still gaps that need to be improved.
“The effective EWS consisted of four components that must work together: knowledge of risks, monitoring and alerts, dissemination of information to the public, and the public’s ability to respond. If one of those components is weak, the entire EWS could fail,” he explained.
Get to know megathrust
Dr Saputra explained that the megathrust earthquakes essentially occurred due to the accumulation of pressure in a plate subduction zone, which continued to build up until it exceeded the elastic limit of the rock. The southern area of Java became a major area of concern due to seismic gap phenomenon, which is a vulnerable segment that has not released its accumulated energy for a long amount of time.
“According to the law of rock elasticity, when a plate continues to be compressed until it can no longer withstand the load, the rock will suddenly crack or fracture, triggering the release of seismic waves,” he added.
Disaster preparedness and risk communication
In order to break the deadlock in disaster mitigation, the safety approach at metathrust locations was divided into three layers of preparedness: the government’s structural level, local community, and family as the smallest unit. Dr Saputra argued that modeling the extent of seismic waves and mapping evacuation routes must be integrated with regular rapid-response training in disaster-prone areas.
“At the structural level, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has been intensively conducting socialization and simulation. Relevant institutions have also conducted nationwide tests based on the worst-case scenario. Researchers have modeled how far waves would penetrate inland during an earthquake of a certain magnitude, and have coordinated with the local governments to build evacuation routes. The vulnerability of each location varies, so it cannot be generalized,” he emphasized.
In addition to physical improvements, risk communication strategies also require a fundamental reorientation to avoid triggering mass panic which would actually be counterproductive. He emphasized that disaster information must be conveyed without using complicated academic language. According to him, it is beneficial to prioritize an approach based on local wisdom by involving local religious and traditional leaders.
“Disaster communication can be conducted based on solution-oriented rather than threat-oriented, consistent and well-coordinated information, using a simple and conceptual language, involving local leaders and media, and incorporating ongoing education. Thus, it’s natural to panic, but don’t blame yourself and don’t let the panic take control,” he noted.
Author: Putri Andini
Editor: Yulia Rohmawati
