Community Radio and Disaster Information System

Junichi Hibino visit to Padang Pariman after the earthquake

Indonesia was surrounded by three major plates of the world, the Eurasian plate, the Indo-Australian plate, and the Pacific. However these plates can be shifted and it will causing earthquakes or tsunamis.

Almost area of Indonesia has a high level of earthquake and tsunami vulnerability. After the eruption of Mount Krakatoa in 1883, there are 17 natural disaster has occurred in Indonesia. The biggest disaster are in Aceh and North Sumatra in December 2004, more than 150,000 people died. In May 2006, Yogyakarta and Central Java’s were shooked, the victim reached 5,000 people. The earthquake also was occured the West Sumatra (30/9/2009) resulted in 1195 people died, 1898 injured and 6554 people had to evacuate.

For earthquakes, currently there are not a technology that can predict when disaster. Disasters can occur suddenly anywhere as long as still in earthquake zone. According to Junichi Hibino, Director of Radio FM YY, Kobe, people must build an early warning systems and knowledge distribution about disaster risk reduction to the community. The early warning systems as an alarm when an earthquake at any time to come. Disaster risk reduction knowledge to help people to avoid losses due when disasters.

Radio FM YY Hibino established in Kobe after the Kobe earthquake. In 1995, Kobe earthquake killed 4571 people, injured 14,678 people, and resulted in 222,127 people homeless. Kobe earthquake also damaged and demolish more than 120,000 buildings. During the earthquake, FM YY manage disaster information, such as the needs of victims, evacuation route, and the locations of safe evacuation.

Junichi visit to Padang Pariaman on 7-10 December 2009 to share his experiences to develop disaster management based community radio. Japan has a similar condition with Indonesia, both are strings of the Pacific Ring of Fire (The Pasicif Ring of Fire), which stretches from the west coast of South America, continuing to the west coast of North America, circular to Canada, Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, and islands in the South Pacific.

The West Sumatra Earthquake (30/9/2009) was built the community radio activists awareness about Disaster Information System based of Community. The reason Disaster Information System development is government’s performance in handling the disaster that is bad. There are four community radio is involved in Community Radio Network project, they are Kiambang FM Radio at 6 × 11 EnamLingkung subdistrict, Padang Sago FM Radio at Padang Sago Subdistrict,  Suandri FM Radio at VI Koto Subdistrict, and Bahana FM Radio at Pariaman City.

To handle the distance problems, they use radio communication technology (RIG) and Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). Through RIG, the community radio activists  are information exchange intensively. Furthermore, information disseminated through radio broadcasts to their communities. In addition, community radio also organizes several off air activities, such as popular education for children, computer training, and disaster management system workshops.