Building Public Awareness In Preventing Flood Disasters (Case Study Of Environmental Communication In Bumi Waras Urban Village)”

Abstract

 This study aims to describe how environmental communication plays a role in building public awareness to prevent flooding, focusing on Bumi Waras Village, Bandar Lampung City. This study uses a qualitative descriptive approach, with data collection techniques including in-depth interviews, field observations, and documentation analysis. The results indicate that environmental communication efforts in the area are still dominated by top-down communication patterns and have not been fully adapted to the local socio-cultural context. The level of public awareness regarding flood risks is relatively low, influenced by limited public participation and ineffective information dissemination. However, a participatory communication approach through the involvement of local leaders, neighborhood forums (RT/RW), and community activities such as mutual cooperation has proven more effective in conveying flood mitigation messages. This study concludes that an inclusive, culturally relevant, and dialogical environmental communication strategy is crucial for building collective awareness and encouraging active community participation in disaster risk reduction efforts in flood-prone areas.