In Indonesian villages, a disaster worker builds resilience among those most at risk

Author: Eny Cahyanihusna

Bima District, Indonesia — In Bima, the rainy season often brings more than just heavy rainfall — it brings fear, destruction and loss. Flash floods can devastate homes, farmland and lives. Amid these emergencies, standing in the front lines to protect his community is Bambang Hermawan, a disaster analyst with the district’s Subnational Disaster Management Agency.

When the floods surge, Hermawan and his team must act without delay. Each second can mean life or death.

“Bima is currently under emergency response status due to flood. Every team is mobilized and operating according to their responsibilities,” he said.

But speed alone is not enough. Hermawan’s team also must ensure that those most at risk — women, elderly, and children — receive the kind of protection that they specifically need. He knows that in emergencies, these groups are often the first to be overlooked and the last to receive adequate help.

“We’ve learned from many past experiences. One of our top priorities is to create safe spaces tailored for vulnerable groups,” he said. “They cannot simply be grouped with others, because their needs are distinct and must be respected. They need privacy or sanitation necessities and are at higher risk of gender-based violence.”

Bima is a coastal area on Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara Province. Most residents of its flood-prone villages breed livestock or farm crops such as rice and corn; others tend fish or shrimp ponds. During the November-March rainy season, they face the risk of river overflows and landslides caused by downpours.

Hermanwan, 48, is responsible for collecting and analysing data to support policymaking and emergency response.

He said that by attending the Disaster Cluster Strengthening Workshop organized by UN Women on 5-8 February in Bima, he gained new perspectives on disaster response, particularly in how to strengthen communication and collaboration among government agencies, social services organizations and volunteers and to ensure all community members take action to protect themselves.

“One of the key discussions was how to identify the villages most frequently affected by disasters and support them to become disaster-resilient communities,” he said.

In this approach, rather than being passive recipients of aid, community members including women and youths are empowered to come up with their own solutions. Hermawan true resilience begins at the grass-roots level with participation of women and marginalized groups in particular as the foundation for long-term sustainability.

Despite limited resources and recurring challenges, Hermawan remains hopeful. Disaster offers a chance to rebuild better and to strengthen the resilience of those most at risk. One of his greatest aspirations is to see every village in Bima equipped with gender-responsive preparedness systems so that everyone, especially women, knows exactly what to do when disaster strikes.

“We may not be able to stop disasters from happening, but we can reduce their impact. We can save more lives if we are better prepared,” he said.