Risk Literacy and Awareness of Injury during Flood Season in Urban Communities Indonesia

Abstract

The risk of injury at home due to flooding is often not a concern for many people. This article discusses the importance of risk literacy among urban communities in Surabaya, Indonesia regarding safety at home during floods. The analysis about home-safety used safety paradox theory by James Reasons. The method used was a Focus Group Discussion which was carried out through facilitators among residential environmental activists to reveal four safety paradoxes: (1) invisible versus visible safety issues. (2) Potential damage due to defenses, barriers, and safeguards from flood adaptation. (3) Opinion about the role and function of community services and public facilities in minimizing the danger of flooding. (4) Optimism and failure experiences are more relied on by society. The results of the Focus Group Discussion were fall injuries and electric shock were more important than other risks. Meanwhile, the safety paradox found that the dangers of electric shock and infection were less visible. People preferred to adapt to severe flooding by constructing embankments around the house. Nevertheless, it becomes a cause of fall injury. While public facilities and community services tend to arrive late, people tend to learn from past experiences. The conclusion that is recommended for home safety risk literacy is that it reduces the danger of falls and electric shock compared to other dangers. The recommended activism is safety activism at home through routine communal programs in the villages. The second recommendation is to prioritize risk literacy through the distribution of short videos on social media.