Irwan Meilano
West Java is traversed by various active faults which have the potential to produce earthquakes with a magnitude of 7 and cause high levels of damage to the surface. Recently, Sumedang Regency experienced a series of earthquakes that damaged 138 homes and 66 schools, injuring 10 people. Although magnitudes below 6 are usually insignificant, three factors emerged as the main causes of damage: the shallow depth of the earthquake source, the characteristics of the soil in West Java, and the geographical condition of Sumedang which is densely populated. The geographical condition of Sumedang which is densely populated exacerbates losses that are not only limited to infrastructure. , but also includes stopping learning activities in schools and causing panic among the community. Learning from the experience of similar disasters, building damage patterns are closely related to the type of building and the type of fault caused by the earthquake. Even though building damage is the main cause of casualties, the risk can be managed with mitigation supported by an in-depth understanding of earthquakes in accordance with Law no. 24 of 2007 concerning Disaster Management, which emphasizes that disaster management efforts should be based on science and technology. Schools, as environments that are very vulnerable to the impact of earthquake disasters, need special attention. Knowledge about disaster risk and mitigation needs to be disseminated at the school level. The first step starts from increasing teacher capacity in terms of knowledge regarding earthquake awareness and mitigation strategies. Increasing teacher capacity in reducing disaster risk is a crucial, important and urgent first step. Teachers must be introduced to the types of disaster threats in the school area, how to avoid and reduce the threat of danger, and increase their ability to face each disaster threat so that the risks posed can be reduced or non-existent. Furthermore, these steps can be continued, modified and developed by teachers in their respective school environments. In this way, the awareness of school residents who live in earthquake-prone areas can increase. Through this awareness, it is hoped that they can take mitigation steps that are appropriate to the conditions of each school in Sumedang Regency.
Guidebook Development: Creating a guidebook that is rich in information about earthquakes, explaining the relationship between survival space, building types, and the impact of damage due to earthquakes. This book is expected to become a practical guidance tool for teachers to improve earthquake disaster mitigation activities in the school environment.
1. Establishment of research connections between outstanding students through Independent Class Achievement Students (MBKM) (Geodetic and Geomatics Engineering Study Program), Cross-Faculty Students (Civil Engineering Study Program), and Lecturers from Semarang State Polytechnic 2. Establishing a close partnership with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)/Sumedang Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the Regional Government of Sumedang Regency