Disaster-resilient villages: strengthening community capacity in flood disasters managing in wetland areas

Abstract

Wetland areas have the potential for flooding during the rainy season. Even though the community is used to a flooded environment, disaster risk reduction must be carried out immediately when the inundation exceeds the standard limit and causes losses including establishing a disaster-resilient village. This study aims to analyze the role of disaster-resilient villages in strengthening communities in the face of flood disasters in wetland areas. This study used a questionnaire with 100 respondents from two flood-prone villages, Sungai Lumbah Village and Bangkit Baru Village. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with community leaders in the two villages, the Sungai Lumbah Village Head, Bangkit Baru Village Head, volunteer groups and the Head of the Barito Kuala District Disaster Management Agency. The results showed that the two villages were still included in the Primary Disaster Resilient Village category. The two villages were still not ready when the disaster struck. The institutional aspect is still not prepared, the funding aspect is still low and the planning aspect is inferior. The communities of the two villages were still not ready when the disaster occurred. Various efforts were made to increase socialization from both the Government and academia to increase the number of volunteers and to increase training to create a disaster-resilient society.