Enhancement of Disaster Risk Reduction Capacities Utilizing Community Radios: A Case Study of <i>Radar Tangguh</i> Program

Abstract During a disaster, infrastructure, including communications infrastructure, will be affected and damaged to varying degrees. Apart from infrastructure damage, during a disaster, specific information is needed for evacuation, distribution of aid and recovery. This article will describe the Radar Tangguh (Emergency Radio for Resilient Indonesia) program initiated by the Indonesian Community Radio Network (JRKI), Combine Resource Institution, Atma Jaya University Yogyakarta, FMYY Radio Japan, and AMARC Asia Pacific. Its ultimate goal is for community radio and emergency radio to become one of the communication systems in reducing disaster risk in Indonesia. This article uses a qualitative case study approach. The Radar Tangguh program was chosen because it is the only enhanced disaster risk reduction program using radio. Research data was collected from documentation, interviews and observations. The research results show that this program has been successfully implemented in several disaster areas. Several emergency radio stations were established in several disaster areas in Indonesia. Apart from that, there are several policies at the regional level (village and district) that introduce the use of community radio for disaster mitigation. However, the use of community radio media is also often hampered due to the difficulty of obtaining broadcasting community radio permits.