Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Michelle Ann Miller, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

The 2010 eruption of Merapi volcano was a turning point for several areas in the slope of the volcano to create an urban-rural cooperation during the disaster period. This relation between prone areas (mostly located in the rural zone) and safe ones (located in the urban area) is called sister village. After the eruption which caused more than 2000 families lost their houses, the resettlement program was introduced by government. People who were initially are rural residents have to inhabit in the more urbanized areas. This talk aimed at investigating how the spatial linkage between rural-urban areas during the disaster period in Merapi Volcano and at analyzing several issues raised after the resettlement program. During the crisis period, the transfers of goods, communication and people are mainly related to the crisis management, i.e. aids distribution, information related to the Merapi volcano’s activities, and people evacuation. However, during the normal period, the spatial interaction between the prone and the safer areas are identical with the spatial interaction between common urban and rural areas. The change of environmental condition of the place of living under the resettlement program from rural into urban setting had in some measure altered their daily life (habits, occupations, livelihood, socio-cultural relationship, etc.).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Estuning Tyas Wulan Mei is a lecturer at the Faculty of Geography, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia since 2008 and researcher at the Center of Disaster Study Universitas Gadjah Mada. She graduated from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne France for her PhD dissertation research entitled “Evacuation Management during the 2010 Volcanic Crisis in Merapi Volcano”. She finished her master at the Geo-information for Disaster Risk Management and Spatial Planning Study Program (Universitas Gadjah Mada and University of Twente, the Netherlands). Her publication is mainly in the topic of volcano-related disaster, such as evacuation management, volcanic disaster response and management, spatial linkage between disaster prone areas and safer ones, and resettlements.

REGISTRATION

Admission is free. We would greatly appreciate if you RSVP to Ms Tay Minghua via email: minghua.tay@nus.edu.sg.