UNESCO Supported the Socialization of the Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19
As follow up of the activity of the Indonesian Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19, UNESCO supported U-INPSIRE Indonesia in organizing a National Webinar on Socialization of the Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19, on Friday 05 June 2020. The National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), The Meteorological, Climatological and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), The Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), the Indonesian Tsunami Experts Association (IATsI) also supported the Webinar. The Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19 as the result of a collaborative work of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Centre of IOC-UNESCO and the Indonesian Stakeholders (BNPB, BMKG, ITB IATsI, and U-INSPIRE Indonesia)
The objective of the Webinar is to sensitize the guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19 to the local disaster management offices in Tsunami prone areas in Indonesia as well as to other disaster management stakeholders. The Director and Representatives of UNESCO office Jakarta, The Rector of ITB, Deputy for Disaster Prevention of BNPB, and Head of BMKG opened the webinar with their remarks. The webinar started with sharing of information on the tsunami prone areas in Indonesia and The Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation Guide on Tsunami Evacuation. The Indonesian Guide for Tsunami Evacuation covers the tsunami warning information, preparedness for tsunami evacuation during COVID-19, and principles in tsunami evacuation based on category of persons exposed to the COVID-19. The webinar also covered from the experience of two disaster management offices experience of evacuation during flood in Mentawai and Bandung as well as observations from the BPBD Province Bali and Metro TV broadcasting media on the guide.
The Webinar concluded that in disaster emergency, especially during a tsunami threat, tsunami evacuation should be prioritized and override the “Stay at Home” instruction under the COVID-19 protocol. The COVID-19 protection protocol should be implemented as best as possible in the Tsunami Evacuation Shelters. The local government and the community’s tsunami evacuation team need to prepare and implement the COVID-19 protocol in the Tsunami Evacuation Shelters among others: ensure physical distancing; the evacuates to keep wearing their mask; the availability of water and soap, hand sanitizer, and thermometer in the shelter; be prepared to separate people that has been identified as ODP (Person under Observation) and PDP (Patient under Treatment); and keep record of names and addresses of the people in the evacuation shelter. The local disaster management offices was requested to use the Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19 guide as the basis for them to develop their own contingency plan for tsunami evacuation during COVID-19.
The webinar attracted 1693 people to register. Based on the webinar attendance form (informed at the beginning of the webinar) 997 participants attended the webinar (fill in the form) in Zoom and YouTube. At the end of the webinar, the organizer requested participants to fill in an evaluation and certificate registration form, 600 participants fill in the form. A total of 594 participants recorded to be in the webinar (217 in Zoom and 377 in YouTube). These participants representing 178 District/City Disaster Management Offices, 24 Province Disaster Management Offices, and 34 BMKG Local Offices and representatives of Local Universities, Government offices, Department of Health, and NGOs. Approximately 697 participants downloaded the Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19.