Resilient Environment through Active DRR Initiatives (READI) QUARTERLY REPORT (Q3)

The program's goal is to ensure that government officials and vulnerable communities in the target areas have increased knowledge of hazard risks and mitigation measures and the skills to apply disaster risk reduction models. The program focuses on five target areas: Bengkulu, Padang, Meulaboh/Aceh Barat, Mentawai, and Nias. The total population of these areas is 1,679,289, which covers a diverse range of communities and geographic locations. The program's beneficiaries include government officials, community leaders, and vulnerable populations in these areas. The program's intervention context involves conducting Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) workshops in the five program areas. These workshops were held in April 2013 and informed and enriched the resulting assessments, which will be a resource for the implementation of disaster risk reduction programs in the area. The final VCA documents were distributed to stakeholders of each area in May 2013. Capacity-building trainings were also conducted to enhance the skills of program and local partner staff. The first capacity-building training, held on 21-24 May 2013, trained staff from BPBD Mentawai Islands in collaboration with BNPB. The second training, held from 18-21 June 2013, reached 21 BPBD staff in Bengkulu, also in partnership with BNPB. The program has also identified potential tsunami vertical shelters and evacuation sites. Currently, 107 building units have been identified as potential tsunami vertical shelters, with 93 in Padang, 9 in Meulaboh, and 5 in Nias/Gunungsitoli. In addition, 21 hills and high places have been identified as potential evacuation sites. The program has also made significant progress in identifying radio stations in the five program areas. A total of 32 radio stations have been identified, with 16 in Padang, 4 in Mentawai, 6 in Bengkulu, 3 in Nias/Gunungsitoli, and 3 in Meulaboh/Aceh Barat. The program's performance summary indicates that awareness campaigns and proactive engagement have been successful. Five local partners have signed sub-grant agreements and have begun carrying out awareness campaigns about disaster preparedness and mitigation in their respective program areas. The local partners have also conducted socialization activities in various villages and schools, and have re-initiated disaster preparedness teams (DPTs) in three villages. The program has also coordinated closely with BPBD Padang and BPBD West Sumatra Province to revise existing evacuation maps. The program staff drafted the Padang evacuation maps and plan to invite stakeholders to a workshop scheduled for July 2013 to ensure that all parties accept the evacuation maps. Input and suggestions from this workshop will be used to revise the draft of the maps, which will then be finalized, printed, and distributed. Overall, the READI program has made significant progress in building disaster risk reduction capacity and enhancing resilience of vulnerable urban coastal populations in Sumatra. The program's efforts have been focused on conducting VCA workshops, capacity-building trainings, and awareness campaigns, and have resulted in the identification of potential tsunami vertical shelters and evacuation sites, as well as the establishment of disaster preparedness teams in various villages.