Category: Berita

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA– Kementerian Energi dan Sumber Daya Mineral meluncurkan Aplikasi MAGMA (Multiplatform Application for Geohazard Mitigation and Assessment in Indonesia) yang memberikan terobosan dalam pemberian informasi terkait bencana.

Pemrakasa MAGMA Indonesia Devi Kamil Syahbana menjelaskan, MAGMA adalah media online aplikasi, masyarakat mendapatkan informasi real time, sehingga masyarakat mendapatkan informasi cepat, jadi tidak akan ada kejadian keterlambatan mendapatkan informasi kebencanaan.

“Aplikasi MAGMA ini dibangun dan dikembangkan secara mandiri oleh Pegawai Negeri Sipil (PNS) Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG) Kementerian ESDM,” katanya, Minggu (27/8/2017).

Aplikasi ini bermanfaat untuk kementerian ataupun pemerintah daerah seperti Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Bencana (BNPB), Badan Penanggulanan Bencana Daerah (BPBD), Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), Kementerian Perhubungan serta lembaga-lembaga International terutama industri penerbangan.

Debi mengatakan, MAGMA juga melakukan ekspansi dengan stakeholder penerbangan tidak hanya Indonesia juga International, mereka mendapatkan informasi letusan gunung api secara real time.

Abu vulkanik berbahaya untuk penerbangan dan menjadi data yang menjadi acuan Volcanic Advisory Centre (VAC), Pacific Disasster Centre (PDC) serta International Air Transportasion Association (IATA).

Aplikasi itu kembali menorehkan prestasi dengan meraih Top 40 Inovasi Pelayanan Publik 2017, belum lama ini. Penghargaan untuk MAGMA diserahkan oleh Menteri Koordinator Bidang Pembangunan Manusia dan Kebudayaan RI Puan Maharani mewakili Presiden RI Jokowi.

Kepala Pusat Vulkanologi dan Mitigasi Bencana Geologi (PVMBG) Kementerian ESDM Kasbani mengungkapkan MAGMA Indonesia bukan hanya kebanggaan Kementerian ESDM, tetapi juga kebanggaan bangsa.

“MAGMA Indonesia asli buatan anak bangsa, sehingga kini bukan lagi menjadi kebanggaan PVMBG, Badan Geologi, maupun Kementerian ESDM, namun lebih luas lagi menjadi kebanggaan bangsa Indonesia,” ungkap Kasbani bersemangat.

On 14 August, heavy rains, a mudslide and flash floods destroyed hundreds of homes and left many dead, injured or missing in Sierra Leone. In all, more than 500 houses were buried and destroyed and some 6000 people were severely affected. So far, more than 500 bodies have been recovered, with the number expected to rise. A mass burial for 300 people brought the country together and hardened the commitment to collectively recover from the tragedy.

An estimated 200 people living with HIV and their families were affected, with around 54 among the dead. Relief and rescue efforts by community members and first responders immediately began providing life-saving support.

People living with HIV and people at higher risk of HIV infection often become more vulnerable in times of emergency, owing to a lack of prioritization of their needs, lack of prevention services and disruption of treatment. In addition, people living with HIV, especially with weakened immune systems, are at higher risk of contracting malaria and waterborne diseases.

In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, UNAIDS’ priority has been to ensure the continuation and scale-up of antiretroviral therapy services, provide technical support to the Network of HIV Positives in Sierra Leone (NETHIPS), generate strategic information for fundraising and facilitate access for people living with HIV to food and non-food resources. UNAIDS has been participating in the broader disaster coordination structure within the United Nations and is supporting NETHIPS in the registration of people living with HIV affected by the disaster and in finding out their immediate needs.

In the medium and long term, UNAIDS, in collaboration with the United Nations interagency team, the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat, NETHIPS and the wider national disaster response coordination unit, will ensure that people living with HIV have access to support that includes the restoration of livelihoods, shelter construction and psychosocial services.

This crisis has put into sharp focus the fragility of Sierra Leone’s post-Ebola social safety nets. It is critical that the resources required for the response to HIV be included in the emergency fundraising appeals and that the country’s HIV catch-up plan be financed and implemented effectively.

QUOTES

“ENTIRE COMMUNITIES HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT BY THE DISASTER. WE NEED URGENT SUPPORT NOW.”

ERNEST BAI KOROMA PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE

“HUMANITARIAN CRISES EXACERBATE THE HIV EPIDEMIC—VULNERABILITIES ARE INCREASED, SERVICES ARE DISRUPTED, PEOPLE ARE UPROOTED AND ACCESS TO HIV PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AFFECTED, LEADING TO NEW HIV INFECTIONS.”

MICHEL SIDIBÉ EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNAIDS

Disaster preparedness methods and prevention infrastructure have been proven to mitigate the impacts of catastrophes on citizens around the world. As shown in the infographic by the Aid and International Development Forum (AIDF), every euro spent on disaster prevention efforts is predicted to result in €4 savings that would go towards response efforts. In 2016, the European Commission released a report of its planned investments for the countries in the EU. It is estimated that the projected developments will save 13.3 million people residing on the European continent from floods and 11.8 million people from forest fires. To view the infographic, click here www.aidforum.org/infographic/infographic-disaster-prepare…

Despite its ability to cut response costs, disaster risk reduction has only accounted for 12.8% of the $3.3 trillion allocated globally to international aid finance during the period spanning from 1991 to 2010. Emergency response accounted for the majority of aid finance, 65.6% or $69.9 billion during these years while reconstruction and rehabilitation took up 21.7% of the total expenditure.

These figures might be accounted for by factoring in the inability of some countries to afford the cost of protection infrastructure. This proves to be unsurprising as such infrastructure projects can come with a hefty price tag. The 5th Delta Program launched by the Netherlands cost €20 billion and $15 billion was spent on the flood protection program in New Orleans. In total, an estimated $1 trillion is needed per year to close the infrastructure gap in developing countries.

In the private sector, 72% of Standard & Poor’s Global 100 companies do not conduct environmental or climate-specific vulnerability assessments. Furthermore, a majority of these companies do not engage in climate-risk management activities, such as the utilization of climate-specific risk models and research as well as the upgrading of infrastructure and equipment; despite the fact that 77% of these companies include climate-risk management in their conventional business continuity and risk management strategies.

The importance of disaster readiness reaches beyond government and corporate level and is vital for the individual to be conscious of as well. In the United States, the National Health Security Preparedness Index, which measures preparedness for disasters and other emergencies, reached a score of 6.8 out of 10 on the national scale in 2016. However, measurements on a state-by-state basis record a 31% disparity between states with the highest preparedness scores and those with the lowest. For the 144.6 million people living in the coastal states from Maine to Texas, disaster preparedness is incredibly necessary. Especially in light of the fact that in 2016 alone there were 7 hurricanes which threatened the 61 million homes and 3.4 million business establishments on the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast.

To discuss the impact of disasters and how to enhance disaster preparedness and prevention, join the 9th Global Disaster Relief & Development Summit on September 6-7 in Washington D.C. The Summit will gather industry experts who will be sharing best practice and discussing new technology innovations aimed at improving preparedness, proactive disaster mitigation, risk management and community management. Hear from:

• Christopher Smith, Director of Individual Assistance, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), United Sates Department of Homeland Security
• Akshat Vishal Chaturvedi, Senior Advisor, Disaster Risk Management, World Bank
• George Sullivan, Director, Individual and Community Preparedness and Resilience, American Red Cross
• Kieth Kall, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships, World Vision
• David Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Rescue Global
• Isaac Kwamy, Director, Global Programs, Humanitarian Disaster Management, NETHOPE
• Dr Joe Leitmann, Lead Disaster Risk Management Specialist, Team Leader, Resilient Recovery and Urban Resilience, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), World Bank Group

For more information about the Global Disaster Relief & Development Summit, visit disaster-relief.aidforum.org

Global Disaster Relief & Development Summit strives to enable quicker and better response during crises and catastrophes by improving effectiveness, cost-efficiency and sustainability of aid operations. This year’s programme will expand its scope beyond disaster relief and will look into emerging global challenges, innovations and opportunities in international aid and development sector. It will continue to focus on best practice in humanitarian logistics, emergency communication, supply chain, procurement, partnerships and financing of aid programmes. The agenda is developed in consultation with World Bank, UN OCHA, Red Cross, USAID, World Vision, UNOPS.

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This release was published on openPR.

FREETOWN, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — Sierra Leone’s presidential spokesperson Abdulai Bayraytay said Wednesday that the country is in dire need of food, water, clothing, accommodation and medical supplies for the thousands of people left homeless by the devastating floods and mudslide that hit an area on the outskirts of capital city Freetown on Monday.

Bayraytay, who also doubles as lead communicator for the disaster management in Sierra Leone, told Xinhua in an interview they have temporarily provided shelter for the homeless in various schools across the city and that they are currently providing dry food rations for people that were affected by the disaster, but more supplies are needed.

“We need water facility, clothing, medicine, food and accommodation for people that have been left homeless,” he said, as work to rescue and recover people suspected to be buried under the rubble is still under way.

“We are still very optimistic that as the recovery effort still continues, we would discover more people. That is why we have ambulances on standby, so that whosoever we discover would be taken to the nearest hospital,” the spokesperson said.

He said registration of people suspected to have been victimized by the disaster is still in progress, although he could not provide an update on the latest death toll figures.

He told Xinhua that the government is particularly concerned about any outbreak of cholera in the aftermath of the disaster, hence medical supplies would be direly needed by the government.

“We are very much concerned about any outbreak of cholera. So, whatever medical supplies we get would be greatly appreciated,” he said.

Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, Madina Rahman, has earlier cautioned people to apply all precautionary measures to avoid catching up with Cholera or any other waterborne diseases .

A release from State House late Tuesday indicated that 83 women, 105 men and 109 children were reported dead during the disaster. As rescue operation is still in progress, the number is expected to rise as more bodies are being transported to the Connaught Hospital Mortuary in Freetown.

According to Baraytay, the government and development partners have deployed social workers in the affected communities to provide psychosocial treatment for affected people.

More relatives on Wednesday have identified some of their loved ones killed by the disaster. Bayraytay said that the burial process would take place at waterloo in the outskirt of Freetown Thursday.