In landslide-prone areas of Indonesia, relying on more than good luck

Albertus Tey moved to Tana Toraja on Sulawesi Island in central Indonesia 19 years ago to join his wife Maria Imbong Barangan. They live with their five children in a wooden house in Batu hamlet. Albertus is a farmer and also the hamlet chief and a member of the newly formed Village Disaster Risk Management Team. The team formed as part of CWS’s Safe Schools, Safe Communities project.

To emphasize all that he has learned as part of the Village Disaster Risk Management Team, Albertus told us about his recent firsthand experience with landslides, which are very common on Sulawesi.

“Not too long ago I went to get my youngest son from my in-law’s place, where he was visiting. It was pouring rain, so we visited a while longer than planned. After two hours the rain stopped and we left to go home. We were in the front yard when I heard a loud, thundering noise and, looking up, I saw a big boulder rolling in a mudslide down the hill next to the house. I screamed for everyone – eight people in all – to get out of the house, which they did, miraculously, and ran to safety. Fortunately the landslide didn’t damage the house, either,” said Alberthus. The disaster was averted.

Knowing that he cannot always rely on good luck, Albertus realizes the importance of disaster risk reduction as well as disaster response preparedness, which are key issues in the Safe Schools, Safe Community initiative.

“I have learned many new things about being ready for disasters. I have learned about the Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment, which is an important tool. As head of a family, chief of a hamlet, and a member of Disaster Preparedness Team, I am responsible to share the information and my knowledge, especially with those who live in my hamlet, where landslides are too frequent,” he added.