Volunteer for Disasters: Roles and Contribution of Voluntary Based Emergency Response Groups in Indonesia Ihsan Nasir
Emergency Management Program, Auckland University of Technology - New Zealand
Abstract
Disaster might disrupt the functioning of a community when its effects surpass the communitys ability to cope. Although most of the literatures in disaster management denote the fact that disaster victims can be self-reliant, support from outside is still needed when the destruction of physical assets, basic services and livelihoods are beyond the communitys capacity to thrive. One of the sources of support is from the service provided by volunteers that can make such a critical contribution in disaster. Volunteers are often from local surrounding communities, bystanders or even victims helping other victims who usually come in aid in large numbers to contribute flexible types of responses, sometimes with less proper standards of safety. When disaster strikes, these volunteers who initially came to join in the relief work can be very useful support during the immediate response. However, studies exploring the role of groups involved in disaster management in Indonesia are limited. There is little information about their motivations to join the group or the type of actions they perform in disaster. This study is expected to fill this gap by investigating the contribution of volunteer groups in disaster responses with a focus on Indonesia. This study aims to understand the nature of the volunteer groups in Indonesia who specifically providing response service in time of disaster in order to know their exact roles and contribution within the disaster management process.
