Sunday, January 3, 2010

Youth Disaster Response Organization is Formed

Indonesia is a country with high potential of disasters. Based on data from Crisis Cope Center, ( Ministry of Health ), from 2006 until june 2009. there was an increase in the frequency of disaster occurrence in Indonesia. In 2006, there were 162 disasters recorded, 456 in 2008, and 204 by june 2009. While the number of victims in 2006 was recorded with 7,618 death. In 2007 they were 766, and 337 people in 2008. By June 2009, 233 people died.

Victims died because disaster from year to year cannot be minimized. But it is possible to improve the situation with better prevention measures, mitigation and preparedness. To help disaster mitigation, Indonesian Health Department formed an association of Youth Disaster Response Team ( Dasipena ) spread all over Indonesia. Therefore it takes readiness of all parties especially young generations to participate.

The launching of the Youth Disaster Response Teams ( Dasipena ) which are trained with simulations is expected to help the population when it is necessarry. This program has been carried out by central and local governments, all health personnel and also community partisipation.

"The Youth Disaster Response Team aims to mitigate each disaster and to help people cope in cataclysm to recover quickly as it should be" , said Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari in Monas, Jakarta. Then she added: " Quick response can prevent us from contagious disease caused by disaster like flood. Dasipena trained groups may improve the preparedness of government and community to face disaster."

In Indonesia, the creation of the fisrt Youth Disaster Response Team was announced officially on May 5th 2008. They raised over 1,600 people. The second Dasipena team was formed in Semarang, Central Java on July 31th 2009 and trained 4,500 people. And then in Surabaya, East Java ( August 19th 2008 ), Denpasar, Bali ( October 14th 2008 ), and Bandung, West Java ( December 20th 2008 ) with respectively 5,000, 1,500, and 2,000 people trained. Last group is formed in Banjarmasin South Kalimantan and gathered 2,000 people. Dasipena will be organized in four more province including South Sulawesi, South Sumatera, North Sumatera and Aceh this year, with at least 28,300 participants around the country.

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