Tsunami Resilient Preparedness Indicators: The Effects of Integrating Religious Teaching and Roles of Religious Leaders

Abstract

Effective science communication is essential for addressing the call that science needs to be more responsive to the needs of society. However, there are still gaps in understanding the role of science in reducing disaster risks and also strengthening the capacity of those at risk. Over the past decades, it is generally agreed that the physical and natural sciences predominated in disaster research and frameworks of disaster risk reduction interventions. The Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) is amongst the pioneering national research institutions that conduct natural and social studies in Indonesia. In the early 1990s, LIPI's studies predominantly emerged from geo-hazard disciplines, with several attempts to communicate science to the public. Only after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami did scientists from social and natural science backgrounds come together to understand and agree that the loss of lives during disasters was not down to a lack of knowledge, rather a weak role of science and science communication. It was realized that commonly adopted technical approaches in reducing risks were deemed ineffective and insufficient to bring social changes.