Disaster risk assessment based on the community’s vulnerability, capacity, and responses in facing an earthquake in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Bantul is one of the regencies in the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) that are prone to earthquakes. In 2006, Yogyakarta was hit by a tectonic earthquake with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale, resulting in a death toll of 6,234 people, with 1,754 severely injured (e.g., spinal injuries) and in need of paraplegia rehabilitation. The high number of casualties indicates a high disaster risk, which means high disaster vulnerability and low disaster management capacity. The research aims to assess disaster risks based on the community’s vulnerability and capacity in facing the 2006 earthquake disaster in DIY. This study uses a mixed method, consisting of a survey with 44 disaster victims suffering from injuries that result in disabilities (paraplegia) and in-depth interviews with ten family members of the victims. The results show that disaster vulnerability will likely result in a physical risk, i.e., disaster injuries that leave the victims with paraplegia. Such vulnerability is caused by the community’s low capacity and poor response to disasters, including the 2006 earthquake. Another physical risk is the collapsing houses, which lead to economic risk as the community suffers losses of between 30 and 91 million rupiah. Meanwhile, the social risk is a change in the status of the victims from people without disabilities to people with disabilities. That said, social relations increase because the disaster victims with paraplegia have become active members of an organization.