The catastrophic eruptions of Mount Merapi in 2006 and 2010 became an unforgettable experience. Therefore, disaster mitigation education for residents around Mount Merapi is critical to reducing disaster risk. Disaster mitigation programs can take the form of physical development of disaster protection facilities and increasing community capacity in dealing with disaster threats. Madawirna, one of the student activity units at UNY, seeks to improve the community's ability to deal with disaster threats through Disaster Mitigation Socialization and Training to elementary school students at SDN Glagaharjo Sleman and SDN Balerante Klaten.
The head of Madawirna, Hasib Aldhian, explained that this activity was divided into stages:
Delivering general information sessions on natural disasters
Simulating the demonstration of volcanic eruptions and earthquake disasters
Simulating the response to volcanic eruptions
"In this socialization, the Madawirna team has two roles, namely as a presenter and a model," said Hasib, Thursday (29/9).
Kukuh Aprilianto, a member of Madawirna, explained that for activities at SD Negeri Glagaharjo, the team provided information related to demonstrations of volcanic eruptions and simulations of earthquake disasters. "At Balerante Elementary School, there is no simulation of an earthquake disaster, but a simulation of a volcanic eruption immediately follows it," he said.
Hopefully, this activity can increase elementary school students' awareness of Mount Merapi's slopes to stay alert in the face of potential disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters. Because disaster mitigation needs to be instilled as early as possible, especially in residents on the slopes of Mount Merapi, where the area is a Disaster Prone Area.
