As a country with plenty of hazards, it requires the Indonesian people to better recognize the hazards and risks of disasters faced in each region. The Disaster Risk Reduction Forum or DRR Forum is a form of community organization at the village level that focuses on disaster risk reduction, as well as emergency response strategies during the disaster.

As of January 2024, 10 DRR Forums at village level have completed the mock drill in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. The ten villages are Klitren, Prawirodirjan, Canden, Seloharjo, Pakembinangun, Hargobinangun, Kedungpoh, Girikarto, Banaran, and Purwosari. 

This activity involved all members of DRR Forum, Village Government, the community, Regional Agency for Disaster Management (BPBD), Social Services Department, Health Service, Indonesian Red Cross, and related stakeholders. The hazard being simulated is based on the Contingency Plan Document of each village. 

To arrive at the disaster simulation stage, 30 DRR Forum members have conducted disaster risk assessments, disaster preparedness training, and preparation of Contingency Plan Documents, including scenarios that will be used in the Disaster Preparedness mock drill. 

Disaster Risk Assessment as a Starting Point

Disaster Risk Assessment is the initial stage that must be carried out. The community in each village, together with stakeholders are involved in the process of mapping disaster problems. During the process, the community were asked to map the areas that have the highest risks in each hazard.

The disasters such as strong winds, landslides, fires, earthquakes, and other disasters will be drawn in the form of a potential disaster map. In addition, the community also asked to map the areas that have the most risk impacts such as social, economic, physical impacts, and so on. With this activity, it is expected that the community will be able to get to know the potential for disasters in their respective areas well, and be able to find potential that can be utilized to reduce disaster risks in their areas. 

The output generated from this activity is a map of hazards and possible risks, including accessible evacuation routes. In addition, the risk assessment resulted in documents on hazard characteristics, hazard ranking, and calculation ratios of the estimated impacts caused by the disasters.

DRR Forum Establishment and Capacity Building

The Disaster Risk Reduction Forum (DRR) was formed based on the results of deliberation and mutual agreement. The registration of DRR Forum members in each region must involve at-risk groups, such as older people, disability groups, and women as a form of gender equality. 

These at-risk groups need to be involved in the disaster risk reduction process because they  have a higher risk during disasters than the other groups. Therefore, disaster risk reduction must be inclusive to minimize the impacts of disasters. 

By involving at-risk groups in DRR Forum members, it is hoped that disaster mitigation planning can help them to be able to evacuate independently when the disaster occurs. In further planning, the at-risk groups can also have their needs met during the disaster emergency response period. 

After the DRR Forum was established, each member received disaster preparedness training such as First Aid Training for non medical persons, Shelter Management, Public Kitchen Management, Segregated Data and Rapid Assessment, and Financial Management for the community. By providing these training, it is expected that DRR Forums are more responsive, agile and resilient when responding to disasters. 

Preparation of Contingency Plan Documents 

The Contingency Plan Document or commonly called Renkon is a supporting document that becomes a common reference when a disaster occurs. This  document is prepared based on one type of hazard. Each DRR Forum is facilitated by the Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) to formulate one contingency plan. 

The contingency plan consists of village profiles, hazard mapping and ranking, disaster history, early warning systems, evacuation route maps, and mitigation plans that have previously been determined with the community when conducting risk assessments. This document is also one of the administrative requirements that must be met by the village government to get the title of  Disaster Resilient Village (Kelurahan Tangguh Bencana). 

Disaster Preparedness Mock Drill 

The Disaster Preparedness Mock Drill is a disaster simulation to increase the experience of the DRR Forum, the village government, and the community itself in terms of disaster preparedness. The DRR Forum and the local government will put disaster preparedness into practice, and the community will act as in the agreed scenario. 

This simulation aims to test the preparedness and agility of the Disaster Response Team in dealing with emergency situations. They will evacuate victims, first aid response, collect data of the affected population, and arrange evacuation shelters that can be accessed by all groups. 

This disaster scenario is based on the contingency plan that has been prepared, and is related to disasters that often occur in the region and have a high impact on the community. It also aims to test the effectiveness of the mitigation plan that has been prepared in the contingency plan.