Rapid disaster risk assessment of coastal communities: a case study of Mutiara village, Banda Aceh, Indonesia

This study presents a rapid disaster risk assessment carried out in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, to: (i) identify major hazards, assess vulnerabilities and analyze risks of future disasters, and (ii) recommend key mitigating measures to make prospective communities in Mutiara village resilient to disasters.

It reveals that earthquake, tsunami, flooding, inundation, river cutting, cyclone, climate change and epidemics are the major natural hazards in the locality. Vulnerability analysis shows that this area has a very high damage potential to tsunami and flooding. Risk assessment based on the hazard potential and vulnerability analysis shows that the area falls within the very high risk zone.

It strongly recommends risk mitigating measures to be employed together with the permanent shelter and other development initiatives, since no other alternatives were available for the resettlement of the December 2004 tsunami-affected people and their strong willingness to stay in the same area due to other socio-economic and cultural reasons.

These key mitigating measures include: the construction of dykes along the coastline, formulation of community disaster preparedness plan, provision of escape routes, elevated houses, plantation of mangroves and palm trees, construction of seismic resistant houses with the slight change in the shape horizontal to the tsunami waves, community awareness programs, and launch of the integrated community-based disaster risk reduction program in the community.

This paper was presented at the International Conference on Environment and Disaster Management held in Jakarta, Indonesia on December 5-8, 2006.

Published with author's permission