Fear of future disaster among flash flood survivors in Rua Village, Ternate City: A phenomenological study and its implications for community-based disaster education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33387/j.edu.v24i2.12963Keywords:
Fear of future disaster, Flash flood survivors, Community-based disaster education, Psychoeducation, Phenomenological studyAbstract
The flash flood that struck Rua Village, Ternate City, on 25 August 2024 left an impact that went beyond physical and material losses. This study explored how survivors experience fear of future disaster, that is, the anticipatory fear that a similar disaster will recur, and what these experiences imply for disaster education. Using a descriptive (transcendental) phenomenological design, we interviewed four purposively selected adult survivors who had lost their homes, one of whom had also lost her husband. Data from semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation were analyzed following Moustakas' procedure within a multidimensional fear-response framework (emotional, cognitive, physiological, and behavioral). Four themes emerged: (1) fear of recurrence rooted in traumatic memories; (2) heightened vigilance toward environmental cues interpreted as signs of disaster; (3) post-disaster psychological and physiological reactions, including sleep disturbances, irritability, headaches, and tremors; and (4) efforts to manage fear and rebuild life through daily routines, trigger avoidance, spirituality, social support, and adaptation to permanent housing. Fear of future disaster emerged as a cue-dependent, future-oriented experience that coexists with adaptive coping and protective vigilance. Educationally, the findings show that survivors' fear is a learning resource rather than merely a clinical symptom: their cue-based vigilance and mutual warnings can be developed into community-based early warning learning, contextual school-based disaster risk reduction under the Safe School Programme (Satuan Pendidikan Aman Bencana), psychological first aid training for teachers, and trauma-informed psychoeducation delivered through non-formal venues such as religious study groups in small-island settings.
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