Radio, a friend indeed in times of worst flood
Radio, a friend indeed in times of worst flood
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A man was perched on the rooftop of his house with his wife
and child. They had nothing but the clothes on their backs and a
mobile phone with them. What were they doing? Who was he calling?
No, that was not a scene from Survivor. It's not a set-up but
a scene in real life, happening to real people who do not expect
a million dollars at the end of the day.
"Please, we need help. We need food and water. We've been up
here since morning and haven't eaten," the man said over the
phone in the afternoon.
Pretty soon his pleas were heard all over Jakarta. The man was
calling a local FM radio station. What a wise decision.
When regular television broadcasts began in England in 1937
people thought that moving pictures would replace the radio as
the primary source of information. They could not have been more
mistaken.
A quick look at the situation in Jakarta these days reveals
that the radio is just as close to the general public as ever.
The people have always relied on radio stations for
information in times of crisis like the recent flooding, a sign
of trust that the government does not have.
Incessant rain in Jakarta and West Java has resulted in many
low-lying areas of the capital being inundated.
By Thursday, Jakartans had experienced three consecutive days
of being forced out of their homes, with the floodwaters reaching
the rooftops in many parts of the city.
Major radio stations in Jakarta have been deluged with
telephone calls from people seeking information, calling for
help, and simply relaying information.
Television may be a great way of helping people clearly
visualize what is happening in the capital, but nothing beats the
radio for real-time information.
The current flood crisis is not the only time that radio
stations have competed to provide timely information on what is
going on. In fact, they always do so during critical periods,
such as times of heightened political tension when street
demonstrations are everywhere.
"We get hundreds of calls everyday. Some give information on
traffic, others about emergency situations. We relay the messages
to the public and the relevant institutions for help," Radio
Elshinta (90.05 FM) manager Eddy Harsono told The Jakarta Post.
The information relayed by the radio stations can be helpful
in more ways than one.
"When I heard on the radio that the Pondok Indah road was
flooded, I immediately tried to find an alternative route," said
Emilia, an company employee who drove to her office.
She said that she listened to the radio more closely now on
the road to avoid getting stuck in traffic.
Eddy said that Elshinta has mobilized more than 50 of its
reporters to monitor the flood situation in the capital, and
dedicated 20 telephone lines to take calls from the public.
Another major station, Sonora (100.9 FM), said that it had
more than 12 reporters in badly affected places.
"We also have people monitoring the traffic situation from a
police helicopter that we leased," Sonora station head Yos
Tanubrata explained.
He said that the station had been greatly assisted by people
calling in to provide information, and to that effect Sonora had
eight telephone lines open 24 hours a day.
Information from the general public was also a quick way of
getting the police's attention, Yos said.
Besides information, the radio stations have also sent
assistance to flood victims.
Radio Sonora has given out 1,000 meal packs and 2,000 loaves
of bread to those in need, while radio Elshinta has opened
Elshinta Humanity Care to collect donations from the public.
Eddy said that the role of the radio in emergencies such as
this was to become a mediator between the victims and those that
could help.
"If somebody calls in for help, we tell the Search and Rescue
team or the police to help. We relay information from the public
to the public. That's our role in this," he said.