IOM will tomorrow mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction
by hosting a one-day seminar for 120 West Java community members
focusing on disaster preparedness, mitigation and risk reduction.

The workshop, which will take place in Pameungpeuk – a
coastal village of West Java, is funded by the European Commission
Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), as part of its disaster
preparedness programme (DIPECHO).

Indonesia is second only to Bangladesh as the world's most
natural disaster-prone nation, according to the 2010 Natural
Disaster Risk Index.

In recent years Indonesia has experienced the 2004 Asian tsunami
and powerful earthquakes in Yogyakarta, Central Java, West Sumatra
and West Java, which have cost tens of thousands of lives and at
least USD 8 billion in damage to housing and infrastructure.

DIPECHO is currently funding a EUR 470,000 IOM project:
"Enhancing Disaster Preparedness and Response Capacity in Garut
District, West Java" as part of its EUR 10 million7th Action Plan
for Southeast Asia launched in February.

The 15-month IOM project supports government efforts to engage
communities in disaster preparedness, focusing on five
sub-districts.

It develops multi-hazard maps for villages and sub-districts,
mobilizes villagers to develop hazard maps, trains community
leaders in risk assessment and hazard mapping, and trains health
professionals in basic trauma life support.

For more information, please contact:

Peter Kern

IOM Bandung

Tel: +62 22 2032855

E-mail: "mailto:pkern@iom.int">pkern@iom.int