Relations in the Communication Networks Centrality for Disaster Risk Reduction

Abstract

The communication network in a disaster area could help the local people to reduce the risk by providing information and aid. The purpose of the research is capturing the communication network of the people in the natural disaster area of Mount Merapi in Central Java. Kalitengahkidulwas one of the worst affected villages byMerapi eruption in 2010. This location has been acknowledged as a red zone, but the local people decided to stay because of historical and economic reason. The research focuses on identifying the centralization of communication network, notably regarding the evacuation training as one of the preventive action in disaster risk reduction. The study uses the post-positivist method and survey and interview for data collecting. The research finds that the people's relation in the disaster evacuation training is spread or diffused to many actors, consisting of local people and outsiders. While local people comprise ordinary residents and higher village officer, the outsiders include local government, university representations, and volunteers. The messages delivered in disaster evacuation training ranges from a list of name that should be called when signs of a disaster appeared, activities and individual that become the priority in the evacuationprocess, evacuation route, and accommodation in the evacuation center. Relations in the decentralized communication network could reduce disaster risk by employing local capacity.