Group Photo Session in Zoom Panel
Banda Aceh – In commemoration of the 17th anniversary of the founding of the Syiah Kuala University (USK) disaster research center, UPT. Disaster Mitigation – Tsunami and Disaster Mitigation Research Center (TDMRC) and at the same time in commemoration of Tsunami Awareness Day which falls on November 5, TDMRC held a webinar with the theme Long-Term Disaster Recovery Processes’ Lessons Learned from Disaster Affected Areas, on Wednesday, 8 November 2023. This webinar presents disaster experts from leading universities in the world as panelists, including Prof Emily So from the University of Cambridge UK, Prof Anawat Suppasri from IRIDeS Tohoku University Japan, Prof Alison Raby from the University of Plymouth UK and Dr Rina Suryani Oktari from USK.
“TDMRC is a research institution that was founded on October 30, 2006. The inspiration for establishing this research center was initially due to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, and on October 30, 2023 TDMRC will be 17 years old, which means TDMRC has been actively and consistently overseeing various research “as well as being an institution that focuses on research and efforts to reduce disaster risk. So in commemoration of 17 years of TDMRC’s work in the world of disaster research, today we are holding a webinar discussing learning about long-term recovery from major disasters,” explained the Director of TDMRC, Prof. Syamsidik., S.T., M.Sc.
Prof. Agussapti in Opening Remarks
Starting at 14.30, the webinar was opened by USK’s Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Agussabti, M.Si. In his speech, he stated, “The 2004 tsunami has left an impression on our nation’s memory, and as a response to this tragedy, USK established the Tsunami Research and Disaster Mitigation Center in 2006. For the last 17 years, TDMRC has been at the forefront of disaster research, as hope for Aceh, Indonesia and as an example of innovation and learning for the global community. The presence of TDMRC has turned painful lessons from the tsunami into knowledge. TDMRC’s mission is clear: safeguard the future through imparting knowledge and increasing resilience.”
The webinar, attended by almost 200 participants from Indonesia and abroad, was divided into two panel sessions. The first panel session was moderated by Adrian Ulza, S.T., M.Sc. Prof. Annawat discussed tsunami mitigation in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, in full. Meanwhile, the second panelist in this session was Dr. Rina Suryani Oktari, a disaster expert from USK; in her presentation, she invited participants to look back at the 2004 tsunami recovery process starting from the initial recovery process, recovery 10 years after the disaster—tsunami, 15 years to 20 years after the 2004 tsunami.
The second-panel session in this webinar started at 16.10 and was opened by moderator Rizanna Rosemary, Ph.D. The first panelist in the second session was an earthquake expert from the University of Cambridge, Prof. Emily So; in her presentation, she explained important lessons from earthquake disasters, from mitigation to the post-earthquake disaster recovery process.
The second speaker in the second session, Prof. Alison from the University of Plymouth, explained equally how 3 countries with a history of major disasters have implemented mitigation in dealing with disasters. In this case, Prof. Alison compared Indonesia, Thailand and Japan. Prof. Alison explained, starting from community preparedness efforts to infrastructure resilience in these 3 countries. This webinar activity also plays birthday greeting videos from TDMRC colleagues and partners. Greetings from the University of Cambridge, Griffith University, Tohoku University, BNPB, BMKG, and other local, national, and international partners.
This webinar activity also played birthday greeting videos from TDMRC colleagues and partners. Welcome greetings from the University of Cambridge, Griffith University, Tohoku University, BNPB, BMKG, from other local, national and international partners.
Apart from that, TDMRC also received congratulations from the Chancellor of USK. Through a 40-second speech video, the Chancellor of USK expressed his hopes for TDMRC, which has been USK’s best research center. “Seventeen years is a mature age for TDMRC to become a center of excellence for disaster and tsunami mitigation studies in the Indian Ocean region. Hopefully, TDMRC can continue to produce innovative and inspiring works for disaster risk reduction at the local, national, and global levels.”
In the same video, the Head of the BNPB Disaster Data and Information Center, Abdul Muhari, Ph.D., also conveyed his words and hopes that TDMRC will continue to be successful, contribute, and work better for disaster science and disaster management in Indonesia.
This webinar closed with closing remarks by the Director of TDMRC, Prof. Dr. Syamsidik. ST, M.Sc. He emphasized that TDMRC opens up great opportunities for partners from anywhere and from various scientific disciplines to innovate and conduct disaster research jointly to reduce disaster risk. On this occasion, Prof. Syamsidik also expressed his thanks to all partners who had congratulated TDMRC.
Photo after the webinar
TDMRC member in a Group Photo Session
