Disaster Management Center Research Articles

Revealing the boon and bane of South Africa’s disaster management legislation during COVID-19

Legislation provides a framework for effective and coordinated disaster preparedness and response. This article evaluates the strengths and shortcomings of South Africa’s disaster risk management (DRM) legislation in guiding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its promulgation in 2002, South Africa’s DRM legislation has been hailed as one of the most progressive legislations globally. However, the severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, commonly known as the COVID-19 pandemic, exposed inadequacies in most existing DRM legislation worldwide, including in South Africa. This led to an inadequate response to the pandemic. A content-based literature review was conducted. Forty-nine peer-reviewed articles, reports, op-eds and newspaper articles were included in the review. The review highlighted significant inadequacies of South African DRM legislation, including the placement of the National Disaster Management Centre and the establishment of new structures for COVID-19 response. Based on the findings of this study, disaster managers, as the primary implementers of the disaster management legislation, must motivate the constant review of the disaster management legislation as a way of mitigating social, economic, political and environmental impacts of disasters, which emanate from the inadequacies existing in the disaster legislation.Contribution: The study’s findings contribute to the effective management of the disaster management fraternity by suggesting amendment of the legislation based on the experience during the pandemic. The recommendations made to disaster managers will assist with responding appropriately to future pandemics and other disasters.

Gambaran Karakteristik dan Pengetahuan Relawan MDMC (Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center) Tentang Triage Bencana di Kabupaten Sragen

Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre or MDMC is engaged in disaster management activities and triage systems. Information related to triage at MDMC Sragen Regency was obtained in 2019. Most volunteers had a basic understanding of disaster triage which was sufficient and indicated a need for knowledge and skills updates. The Objective of the Research; to determine the description of characteristic and knowledge of MDMC (Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Centre) volunteers about disaster triage in Sragen district. Methods; this type of research uses descriptive methods with a population 98 people sampling 50 respondents. Research instruments using questionnaires in the form of google forms with data analysis using univariate analysis. Results; the results showed that the characteristics of volunteers were male as many as 32 respondents (64.0%), in the age range of 17-25 years as many as 31 respondents (62.0%), with a high shcool/vocational education level as many as 31 respondents (62.0%) and had been a member of MDMC for 1-3 years as many as 28 respondents (56.0%). Then the results of volunteer knowledge in the moderate category as many as 35 repondents (70.0%). Summary; description of the characteristics and knowledge of MDMC volunteers about disaster triage in Sragen district the suffficient category.

Climate-Induced Migration: Conflict Resolution and Legal Efforts in Pacific, Africa, and South Asia

Climate-induced migration involves people relocating caused by detrimental climate changes affecting their living environment. Pacific, Africa, and South Asia have experienced climate-induced migration resulting from extreme weather events, sea level rise, drought and desertification, and temperature extremes. The purpose of this research is to find out in terms of conflict resolution, what legal efforts have been made by the government of the affected regions to address climate-induced migration. This study uses descriptive qualitative method and case studies. Based on the results obtained from the data, it was found that the affected governments are pursuing various legal efforts to be able to tackle climate-induced migration. Several efforts made, namely “Migration with Dignity” policy, the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) Project, Great Green Wall initiative, the African Union’s Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Bangladesh’s Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre, and India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The regional initiatives mentioned earlier play pivotal roles in implementing these frameworks and fostering collaborative endeavors, whilst the innovative legal frameworks, guided by SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) indicators, ensure that climate-induced migration is addressed effectively. To sum up, dealing with climate-induced migration requires a holistic approach involving regional collaboration and innovative legal frameworks.

Community-Based Strategies for Disaster Preparedness in Mauritius

Mauritius is Small Island Developing State (SIDS) of volcanic origin which lies in the South-West Indian Ocean Basin and is vulnerable to the consequences of global environmental challenges. The fourth priority action of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 is to consolidate disaster preparedness for an effective response and to have a Build Back Better agenda that will improve recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. This research aimed at examining the disaster management system in Mauritius through community-based approaches. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Centre’s (NDRRMC) involvement with the community living in high-risk zones was investigated. This study used quantitative data gathered from secondary sources and included the number of field training simulation exercises, training of volunteers under the Community Disaster Response Programme (CDRP), awareness campaigns and formulation of contingency plans based on documentation across Mauritius. The NDRRMC identified 109 high-risk zones across Mauritius out of which 13.7 per cent benefitted from all four forms of mitigation activities. Results indicated that contingency plans in Mauritius were evidence-based and had been developed after identification of disaster risk in selected regions, and therefore, they were limited to some types of disasters only. Findings also revealed that flooding was the most common type of simulated disaster exercise undertaken. The greatest number of field simulation exercises was carried out in Poste de Flacq. Results also demonstrated that only 38.5% of the community were exposed to disaster-related awareness campaigns, making it the least common form of disaster risk reduction (DRR) activity in Mauritius.

Effectiveness of a Disaster Management Education Program among Youth: A Case Study in Three Disaster-prone Provinces


 
 
 Environmental Education has emerged to integrate knowledge on the need to conserve and to protect the natural environment and to minimize hazards associated with the polluted environment and natural disasters. The present study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of an environmental education programme conducted among participants of National Youth Corps (NYC) training centres. NYC recruits two batches per annum within the age group of 15–26 years. The survey was carried out in year 2019 for its first batch at three provinces: Southern, North Central and Sabaragamuwa. A workshop was conducted for all the trainees by the Disaster Management Centre followed by a two-day disaster drill programme to apply the theoretical knowledge into practice. Total intake of 5688 NYC recruits were reported in this year. 1062 of them were selected from 8 NYC training centres out of 14 total centres located within the three provinces that are considered as prone to natural disasters. A quota sampling approach was used to obtain a representative sample from these districts. Selected participants were advised to complete two self-administered questionnaires: one before the workshop and the other soon after completion. Knowledge and attitudes were measured, and the scores were compared with the hypothesis that participants reported higher scores after the workshop. Knowledge and attitudes toward disaster preparedness was evaluated before and after conducting the workshop. 71% from Southern province (Tsunami); 60% from Sabaragamuwa (landslide); and 75% of North Central province (flood) reported prior experience of natural disasters. The level of awareness of having either a local disaster management plan or a local person responsible for disaster preparedness was low. Only 14.8% from Southern, 11.0% from North Central, 17.0% from Sabaragamuwa Province knew the presence of a local DMP in which 15.0%, 19.3% and 21.6% respectively, knew the presence of the DM personal. About 75% from Southern province, 64% from North Central province and 84% from Sabaragamuwa province were not aware of the existence of an early warning system. An increase in the positive attitude was observed and the perceived change in behavioral change of the trainees have increased after the study. They were highly motivated in assisting disasters in a real situation and were willing to volunteer in minimizing the environmental hazards associated with environmental degradation. Despite the high motivation, lack of experience indicates the need for inclusion of disaster management training into National Youth Corps curriculum with annual educational activities after the initial training. The assessment framework established by this study could facilitate regular inspection and verify various disaster management tasks, in-order to enhance youth capability in response to disasters.
 Keywords: Environmental education, Disaster management, Youth, Knowledge enhancement, Attitude change
 
 

Harnessing Deep Learning for Meteorological Drought Forecasts in the Northern Cape, South Africa

The National Disaster Management Center has declared a drought disaster in the Northern Cape, South Africa, due to persistent dry conditions that impact regions such as the Western, Eastern, and Northern Cape provinces. Accurate drought predictions are vital for decision‐making and planning in vulnerable areas. This study introduces a hybrid intelligence model, combining long short‐term memory (LSTM) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), to forecast short‐term meteorological droughts using the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Applied to Kimberley and Upington in the Northern Cape, the model predicts 1‐month and 3‐month SPEI indices (SPEI‐1 and SPEI‐3). The hybrid model’s performance, compared to benchmark models such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), LSTM, and CNN, is measured through statistical analysis. In Kimberley, the CNN–LSTM model displayed a robust positive correlation of 0.901573 and a low mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.082513. Similarly, in Upington, the CNN–LSTM model exhibited strong performance, achieving a correlation coefficient of 0.894805 and a MAE of 0.085212. These results highlight the model’s remarkable precision and effectiveness in predicting drought conditions in both regions, underscoring its superiority over other forecasting techniques. SPEI, incorporating potential evapotranspiration and rainfall, is superior for drought analysis amidst climate change. The findings enhance understanding of drought patterns and aid mitigation efforts. The CNN–LSTM hybrid model demonstrated noteworthy results, outperforming ANN, CNN, and LSTM, emphasizing its potential for precise meteorological drought predictions.

The MCCC Volunteers' Legacy of Approaches for Combating COVID-19

As one of the Penta Helix elements in crisis management, Muhammadiyah conducted humanitarian efforts throughout the pandemic, notably in East Kalimantan, through the Muhammadiyah COVID-19 Command Center (MCCC). As a collective humanitarian memory of East Kalimantan during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study attempts to present an overview of all the volunteer activities conducted by MCCC in Balikpapan and Samarinda during the pandemic. Descriptive analysis and qualitative technique are utilized in this study. To gather primary data, two informants from Balikpapan and four informants from Samarinda were interviewed. Secondary data came from reporting documents from the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) in East Kalimantan, which were located through a Google search for pertinent terms. The following are the study's findings: (1) In Balikpapan and Samarinda, MCCC volunteers took part in emergency response and disaster risk mitigation operations. (2) They give medical aid, apply disinfectants, and conduct out programs related to food security. (3) They go a long way to help others. They are all living examples of that since they have all survived COVID. During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, one individual was hospitalized, others were forced to self-isolate, and there were no reports in the media about any philanthropic activities. In conclusion, as volunteers are at high danger during the COVID-19 pandemic, their goodness cannot be questioned.

Digital Marketing Assistance for Msme Survivors of Cianjur Earthquake Disaster

Abstract. Digital Marketing Assistance for MSME Survivors of the Cianjur Earthquake Disaster. In 2022, there was an earthquake in Cieundeur Village, Warung Kondang District, Cianjur regency, which resulted in physical damage to land and buildings and even landslides that were quite severe and had an impact on changes in land topography. Disasters also have an impact on the socio-economic conditions of the community; even psychologically, the community experienced shock. Various organizations have been involved in disaster response programs, one of which is the Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) in collaboration with students of the real work lecture (KKN) thematic disaster at the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta in order to carry out post-disaster recovery programs. The focus of the program is psychosocial, which includes community institutions, education, environmental health, and economics. Related to this, the purpose of this service is to improve the post-disaster community economy in Cianjur regency. The methods used are online and offline training. Recovery activities are carried out to form a joint business group. Changes in awareness, knowledge, and skills can result from mentoring carried out by a service team with the support of youth leaders. The end of the implementation of service activities is the formation of a joint business group in the form of clothing design and communication with a digital marketing business plan concept.

Enhancing Disaster Diplomacy between Indonesia and Turkey: A Study on the Roles of Non-State Actors in Collaborative Governance during the 2023 Earthquake

Disaster diplomacy, the strategic use of humanitarian aid and disaster relief to strengthen diplomatic relations, emerged as a crucial element in international politics, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters. This study delved into the specific case of the 2023 earthquake, focusing on the role of Indonesian non-state actors in fostering diplomatic ties through collaborative governance. Employing a descriptive qualitative methodology, the research explored the partnership between the Indonesian government and prominent non-state organizations, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in executing disaster diplomacy. It revealed that Indonesia’s diplomatic relations with Turkey experienced significant enhancement due to their joint efforts in disaster management and humanitarian aid. The study identified three core elements structuring this collaborative governance: system context, driving force, and collaboration dynamics. It underscored the active involvement of Muhammadiyah and NU, analyzing how their respective disaster management centers – Muhammadiyah Disaster Management Center (MDMC) and Nahdlatul Ulama Disaster Management and Climate Change Institute (LPBINU) – played pivotal roles. Their contribution not only improved the efficiency and volume of humanitarian aid distribution but also expedited the evacuation processes. The findings contribute to understanding the complex dynamics of disaster diplomacy and the influential role of non-state actors in enhancing international relations through collaborative governance in crises.

Situation report (SITREP) visualization for effective management of disaster incidents in Sri Lanka

During and after any disaster, a situation report (SITREP) is prepared, based on the Daily Incident Updates (DIU), as an initial decision support information base. It is observed that the decision support system and best practices are not optimized through the available formal reporting on disaster incidents. The rapidly evolving situation, misunderstood terms, inaccurate data and delivery delays of DIU are challenges to the daily SITREP. Multiple stakeholders stipulated with different tasks should be properly understood for the SITREP to initiate relevant response tasks. To fill this research gap, this paper identifies the weaknesses of the current practice and discusses the upgrading of the incident-reporting process using a freely available software tool, enabling further visualization, and producing a comprehensive timely output to share among the stakeholders. In this case, “Power-BI” (a data visualization software) is used as a 360-degree view of useful metrics—in a single place, with real-time updates while being available on all devices for operational decision-making. When a dataset is transformed into several analytical reports and dashboards, it can be easily shared with the target users and action groups. This article analyzed two sources of data, namely the Disaster Management Center (DMC) and the National Disaster Relief Service Center (NDRSC) of Sri Lanka. Senior managers of disaster emergencies were interviewed and explored social media to develop a scheme of best practices for disaster reporting, starting from just before the occurrence, and following the unfolding sequence of the disasters. Using a variety of remotely acquired imageries, rapid mapping, grading, and delineating impacts of natural disasters, were made available to concerned users.

Quantitative precipitation forecast for the Godavari basin using the Synoptic analogue method

In the present study, we have constructed a frequency of occurrence of rainfall over each sub-catchment of the Godavari river catchment using the synoptic analogue method for the years 2012-2019. Using the Frequency of the Areal average precipitations the model is verified for the AAP of the synoptic situations for the years 2020. The model has observed the 62% percentage of correct for the monsoon season 2020 and it gives the 90% correct to 50-100 and >100 AAP events. Using the frequency of the AAP events w have constructed the percentage of probability of the AAP of the synoptic events which occur over the Sub-basin. This model is generally accurate for the generation of QPF before the 24hr provided the synoptic conditions over the Region which will be very helpful to facilitate the 48hrs forecast to the flood forecasters and end-users like the central Water commission and Disaster management authorities.

Political and Economic Relation in The SAARC Countries

The level of cooperation among the member countries of SAARC has increased after its formation in 1985. SAARC was founded with the objective to improve living standards of the people, contribute to political, cultural and regional economic growth and to increase cooperation with another region of the world. Realizing the importance of regional cooperation and development, SAARC members have cooperated to establish and initiate various programs and forums for mutual benefit. Agreement on Judicial cooperation on Counter-Terrorism, establishment of Development Funds, Telemedicine Network, SAARC Writers and Literature Foundation, South Asia Women’s Centre and South Asia Olympic Council. Other major achievements include adoption of Social Charter in 2004, establishment of SAARC Arbitration Council in Islamabad in 2005, and establishment of SAARC Energy Center in Islamabad (2006), South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) was established in Dhaka (2014), SAARC Disaster Management Center was established in Gujarat in Nov 2016. Area of cooperation has been extended from five to eight. The economic ties and integration have not been very strong in SAARC countries.

Deep learning and stereo vision based detection of post-earthquake fire geolocation for smart cities within the scope of disaster management: İstanbul case

Cities, which are getting crowded day by day, face a number of issues, including increased planning, inadequate infrastructure, heavy traffic and security. Due to such issues, the cities are more susceptible to natural disasters. Although many preparations are made against natural disasters in urban life, it is evident that adequate measures are not taken against secondary disasters. One of the most destructive and frequent secondary disasters is fires after earthquakes. In this study, an early fire detection system is proposed in order to minimize the losses caused by fires in the potentially chaotic environment that may occur after earthquakes in cities. This system consists of a structure that detects fire with convolutional neural network (CNN) based You Only Look Once (YOLO) model, determines the geolocation of the fire with stereo vision/epipolar geometry and provides information to the disaster management center via wireless sensor network (WSN). Experimental test findings conducted in İstanbul verify that the proposed system would be useful for post-earthquake fire detection with low cost, high reliability and high accuracy.

Fire disaster management in South Africa: Look at statistics and impacts.

The existence of wildfires has been present since before humans, eventually, humans learned to control it. Today, fire is used for light, warmth, hunting, gathering, agriculture, energy, and so on. Fire has led to the evolution of flora and fauna of the world and the development of human society. Fire is both a natural and manmade disaster that causes a significant threat to life, property in residential, urban, rural areas, as well as industrial areas and the environment. Im-pacts of fire can be social, economic, and environmental, such as demolishing wildlife habitat, watershed and water supply damages, damage to property such as public recreation facilities, trails, campgrounds, and signs that affect tourists, destruction of timber, degraded air quality, and smoke-related illnesses. Fires when not controlled become disasters that should be addressed. This is done through disaster management, which can be summarized through the disaster management cycle that includes mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster management of fire should be carried out in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, the Fire Brigade Service Act, the National Veld and Forest Fire Act, and the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act. Fire in South Africa is a usual occurrence. The National Disaster Management Center recorded that in 2016/17, over 17,000 fires occurred, de-stroying almost 5,900 dwellings, resulting in the death of 142 people. Fires greatly affect informal settlements as well as other hazards that are poorly built and overcrowded, therefore are vulnerable.

Role of demographic variables in investigating occupational stress of disaster and emergency medical management center.

Emergency medical services face stressful environments such as departments dealing with injuries and sick patients that pose challenging situations for the healthcare staff. This present study investigates the role of demographic variables in investigating occupational stress of disaster and emergency medical management center in 2021. This present descriptive study selected a sample size of 200 medical personnel associated with disaster and emergency medical management center in Iran, according to the inclusion chosen criteria. The study used a tool consisting of two parts, including demographic information and a job stress Health and Safety Executive (HSE) standard questionnaire. The study selected respondents through Cochran's sample size formula using stratified random sampling with a cross-sectional research design for data collection. This present study has analyzed received data using performed the descriptive and inferential information (t-test and one-way ANOVA) at a significance level P < 0.05. The participants of the survey were males only. The study results specified that the mean age of respondents was 30.14 ± 5.96. The study results exhibited that the mean score of total occupational stress was 3.41 ± 0.26. The results showed the highest (4.34 ± 0.35) and the lowest (2.72 ± 0.86) stress levels were related to role dimensions. The study findings revealed a significant relationship between stress level and participants' age, marital status, educational level, type of base, workplace, and the number of work hours per month. Emergency medical personnel experience a high level of occupational stress. Senior managers can use similar studies to implement measures to reduce the experience of employees' stress.

Challenges of Local Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD) in Realizing Inclusive Disaster Management in Indonesia

The Indonesian government, through the Disaster Management Law, has delegated the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) at the central level and Local Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD) at the regional level to organize inclusive disaster management. However, the role of BPBD in realizing this has not yet been optimally executed. This can be seen from the low of score Indonesian inclusiveness index and the assistance interventions provided to vulnerable groups that do not match their needs. This research aims to understand the complex issues experienced by vulnerable groups in Indonesia and identify various challenges faced by BPBD in achieving inclusive disaster management. This research uses a qualitative method that Research data was obtained through in-depth interviews, with research informants coming from three regions, namely BPBD Sleman Regency, BPBD South Lampung Regency, and BPBD Sigi Regency. To strengthen the analysis, data triangulation was conducted by analysing secondary data from various sources, including academic publications, policy papers, legislation, and mass media. The research results show that the number of vulnerable groups in Indonesia is huge, 37% of the population. This significant number requires attention and specific treatment that aligns with their characteristics and needs. At the implementation level, BPBD faces various challenges, including the lack of data categorization for vulnerable groups at the regional level, insufficient budget allocation for institutional strengthening, a shortage of human resources capacity, suboptimal coordination among government agencies, and limited participation of vulnerable groups in disaster management activities.

Evaluating the efficiency of relief centers in disaster and epidemic conditions using multi-criteria decision-making methods and GIS: A case study

Disaster response refers to any action taken and performed by disaster team managers after and during a disaster. According to the prevalence of the coronavirus and the unpredictability of the behavior of this virus, the capacities of hospitals and medical centers have been overshadowed by this epidemic. Governments have set up temporary rehabilitation centers to control the epidemic, make better use of resources, and quarantine COVID-19 patients. The Tehran (Iran) Disaster Management Organization has designated centers to house the injured and displaced during natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. In this study, the efficiency and sustainability of the evaluation criteria of selected disaster management centers were evaluated in three scenarios: disaster conditions (natural disasters), epidemic conditions, and disaster-epidemic situations. Firstly, the research criteria were classified by experts using the fuzzy Delphi method and weighted using the triangular fuzzy aggregation method. In addition, the criteria are evaluated as information layers in the Geographic Information System (GIS) and the relief locations determined by the disaster management are evaluated against the research criteria. By forming a decision matrix, the alternatives in all three scenarios were prioritized using the PROMETHEE Method and evaluated in terms of efficiency. As a results, the main ways criterion shown with an impact factor of 13% among the evaluation criteria of centers in disaster situations. Additionally, the security criterion with an impact factor of 22% among the evaluation criteria of centers in epidemic conditions achieved the most important criteria in the PROMETHEE ranking.

A South African disaster legislative perspective of information management and communication systems

Background: Establishing a disaster information management and communication system (IMCS) is a mandate of the South African National Disaster Management Framework of 2005 (NDMF). The inception of such systems is supposed to be at the initial set-up of disaster management centres. The comprehensive functioning of a disaster centre will require an interoperable system that can collect, process, store and disseminate data. The lack of such a system might result in poor disaster risk reduction (DRR) and ineffective response.Objective: This article identified and described IMCSs from the South African disaster policy perspective.Methods: Qualitative in-depth interviews were used to investigate the status quo of all nine provincial disaster management centres (PDMCs) regarding the existence, functioning and understanding of IMCSs. The NDMF informed the interview questions administered to 29 purposively selected participants. Themes from descriptions by informants were used to analyse the data.Results: All the centres operating for more than 10 years lack integrated IMCSs. The disaster managers perceive IMCSs as more information technology, computers and other physical devices and less human input systems and governance capabilities. The lack of integrated and well-governed disaster information and communication affects disaster management operations and service delivery mandate.Conclusion: To date, no studies have explored the establishment and management of interoperable IMCSs in disaster management centres. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature on disaster information and communication discourse and practical contributions to improve the capacity of PDMCs. This article provides insight into the significance of IMCS for building resilient communities and recommendations for establishing and maintaining the systems.

Bantuan Kemanusiaan Korban Bencana Alam Banjir Bandang dan Tanah Longsor di Masamba, Kabupaten Luwu Timur Sulawesi Selatan

Monday, July 13th, 2020, Flash floods and landslides have hit the Masamba area, East Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. The large number of victims and urgent needs and in order to ease the burden on the victims, the Academic Community of the Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu initiated a community service program in Masamba Regency. The purpose of this community service is to show the real action of the social care of the entire Civitas Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu to every disaster that occurs. The Humanitarian Aid Team of the Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu consists of 15 lecturers, staff and students of the Poltekkes Kemenkes palu. The method of implementing this service has four stages including planning to find funds, purchasing the needs of disaster victims, distributing assistance and the last stage, namely meeting the needs of victims. The aid was handed over by the Director of Poltekkes Kemenkes Palu, Palu through the Head of the Center for Research and Community Service to the Head of Disaster Prevention and Management Agency at the Emergency Response Command Post for Flash Floods and Landslides, North Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi Province on July 21, 2020 at the Central Disaster Management Command Post. Masamba Regency, East Luwu, South Sulawesi. The provision of Humanitarian Aid can be carried out properly. Communities victims of Flash floods as beneficiaries have received the assistance. It is recommended for this activity more team members so that the distribution of aid is wider and provides more opportunities for students to get directly involved in humanitarian activities

Urban community perception on social vulnerability to disaster: the case of Bukit Antarabangsa, Malaysia

This article aims to determine the perception of urban communities living in Bukit Antarabangsa regarding the issue of social vulnerability (SV) to landslide and landslide-related disasters. Bukit Antarabangsa is widely known as one of the highly urbanized areas near the metropolitan of Kuala Lumpur which are highly susceptible to landslides. Few communities which currently under the SeDAR project (i.e., a join-community-based disaster risk reduction/CBDRR program between Selangor State Disaster Management Centre – JICA – Local NGO: SlopeWatch Bukit Antarabangsa) were selected as a case study. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and household surveys were conducted during Conditional Movement Order (CMCO) on March 27th 2021 and April 11th 2021 to gather relevant information on the researched topic. The questionnaire for the survey was formulated based on the proposed detailed list of SV components, indicators, sub-indicators and weightage which was derived from a review of the literature and internal consultation among disaster experts. The data analysis process in this study served to achieve the objective of social and economic vulnerability assessment in general based on the usage of sub-indicators to point out the score value and level of performance of each sub-indicator based on the survey of local stakeholders. Results from data analysis were translated into spatial context through the production of an SV map of the study area. In summary, the integrated approach to the assessment of SV involving data analysis and mapping/spatial representation has offered some valuable insights towards strengthening local community resilient to disaster and should be considered for inclusion into the establishment of a long-term community-based disaster risk reduction (CBDRR) planning and assessment, and in formulating DRR strategies at local and/or municipal context.