Abstract
The community's role during a disaster within the first 24-72 hours before having government's aid is crucial in making the condition under control in a timely manner. Disaster management institution, especially at local level, has not had any models for flood preparedness training through participative approach based on the local wisdom of Jambi community to reduce disaster risks. This study tries to evaluate the effectiveness of training programme for flood preparedness based on the local wisdom designed for Jambi community, Indonesia. This research is an experimental study with pre- and post-test control design, in-class training followed by field practice and evaluated using three components: pre-test and post-test evaluations (score scale: 0-100), skill observation during disaster training (score scale: 1-4). The participants consisted of 24 local people chosen from the disaster-prone area; all participated in the disaster training. The score of pre- and post-test evaluations indicates improved post-test result with 71.4 (p < 0.005). There was also a skill improvement in the final simulation with 75% excellent score using model modification of programme for enhancement of emergency responses based on the local wisdom. This study completely evaluates the effectiveness of training for flood preparedness based on the local wisdom to improve the knowledge, ability and skill of people in disaster-prone areas.