The grief from the Grobogan Flood Disaster has not yet subsided when another catastrophic event occurred, flooding in the Demak region, Central Java. This flood resulted from a breached embankment of the Kaliwulan River on Sunday, February 11, 2024, at 05:00 AM local time. Subsequently, a follow-up flood occurred from the Lusi River on Monday, February 12, 2024, at 03:00 AM. At least three affected areas were cut off, namely Undaan Kidul, Undaan Lor, and Tuak. Diponegoro University, to fulfill its duties written under the Tri Dharma of Higher Education, was actively involved in Community Service. Under the management of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM), Diponegoro’s disaster response unit is assisting the victims in the affected areas. The Diponegoro Disaster Assistance Response Team (D-DART), consisting of both internal and external volunteers, including medical and non-medical professionals, is actively participating.
On Monday, February 12, 2024, the D-DART Team, which includes internal and external volunteers, including medical and non-medical professionals, actively participated in assisting victims of the flood disaster in Demak. The team followed the guidance of Prof. Dr.Ing, Ir. Suherman S.T., M.T., the Head of the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) of Diponegoro University, and Prof. Dr. Rahayu S.H., M.H., the Vice Chairman of the Community Service Division of LPPM Undip. The team consists of a Logistics Team, Field Team, and General Kitchen Team, utilizing three fleets and one food truck. Professors and students are working hand in hand to assist victims and other volunteers in the field. A total of 200 family packages, general packages, and 500 packed meals were distributed through the coordination of Mr. Mujianto (Village Chief) and Mr. Mahfud (BPBD). Contributions from the members of the Dharma Wanita Persatuan (DWP) of Undip were also distributed to the flood victims in Demak this time.
The Central Kitchen is located in Kelurahan Kedung Waru Kidul and serves as the central kitchen for the Cangkring and Tanggulangin areas. The kitchen’s daily requirement is 5400 packages, with 2700 packages per meal session. This main kitchen in the Kelurahan also supplies Undaan Kidul, Undaan Lor, and Tuak, which are still inaccessible.
The volunteer team comprises both professors and students. The Faculty Team includes Nana Rochana (Faculty of Medicine), Tri Sawaliyanto (RSND), Achmad Zulfa Juniarto (Faculty of Medicine), Anggun Puspitarini Siswanto (Vocational School), and Nur Hafizhah Widyaningtyas (Faculty of Medicine). The Student Team consists of Queen BEM (Faculty of Law), Kanya BEM (Faculty of Social and Political Sciences), Muhammad Nur Thoha (Faculty of Humanities), Mutiara Laili Maulida Firdaus (Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences), Alfian (Faculty of Medicine), Elinda Valentina (Faculty of Humanities), Rouffila Setya Juliatama (Faculty of Humanities), Gilbert Hasudungan Pratama (Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences), and Angelica (Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Sciences). May the victims and volunteers always be under the protection of the Almighty. Recover soon, Mother Earth. (AS)
