Depok – Roberts Barrios, an anthropologist from University of New Orleans, once asserted that “there is nothing natural about disaster.” This statement reminds us that disasters should not be seen merely as natural events, but as phenomena deeply shaped by human decisions and actions.

Excessive exploitation of natural resources for profit often ignores sustainability and environmental balance. Unplanned land clearing or mining that damages ecosystems eventually leads to disasters that affect entire communities.

An economic mindset focused solely on profit, without regard for social and ecological consequences, turns disasters into warnings that demand reform.

In this sense, natural disasters can be read as a “text” that reminds us of the profound relationship between humanity and nature. Disharmonious interactions, unchecked exploitation, and a lack of collective responsibility toward the environment lie at the root of many disasters.

Through these events, nature seems to send a message urging humanity to restore balance, strengthen social solidarity, and craft policies that prioritize sustainability and justice for all living beings. Indonesia’s natural wealth is immense, not only its vast forests but also the abundant minerals beneath its soil.

The Middle East is known for its oil and gas reserves, and Indonesia possesses these as well. Yet, unlike the Middle East, Indonesia also has fertile forests and productive agricultural lands. Meanwhile, other countries blessed with rich forests and agriculture often lack the underground resources Indonesia enjoys.

This abundance can become a temptation for political and economic exploitation, frequently leading to overuse. Indeed, as noted by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), extreme rainfall increases water discharge. 

Memory, Loss, and Survival

Every disaster leaves behind a record of loss in collective memory, from destroyed homes and livelihoods to families torn apart. Ethnographic studies show how local communities struggle to survive amid scarcity and uncertainty, combining ancestral traditions with contemporary adaptive strategies. Disaster narratives are often dominated by stories of loss, of living spaces, hopes, and loved ones.

Yet stories of solidarity and mutual aid also emerge, marked by neighborly cooperation and communal efforts in rescue and recovery, even when resources are limited. On social media, we often witness moving accounts of survivors being rescued, including the saving of beloved pets.

Local adaptation strategies rely not only on modern technology but also on traditional knowledge passed down through generations. Communities learn to read natural signs, adjust to environmental changes, and rebuild their lives after disaster.

Such local wisdom must be preserved, especially as communities become more diverse and not all residents share the same cultural background or understanding of these traditions. An ethnographic perspective reveals that those most vulnerable to disasters are often those living closest to environmental degradation and affected by exclusionary policies.

Therefore, disaster mitigation should be understood as part of a broader struggle for social justice, environmental protection, and the recognition of the rights and dignity of affected communities. Disaster anthropology emphasizes that every calamity offers important lessons about the evolving relationship between humans and their environment.

Human Decisions and Vulnerability

Decisions about land use, settlement development in hazard-prone areas, and the conversion of forests into plantations all increase community vulnerability.
Beyond economic considerations, local culture and traditions shape how communities adapt to and respond to disaster risks.

In disaster management, social capital, solidarity and community networks, plays a crucial role in rescue and recovery. Understanding disasters through an anthropological lens means acknowledging that they reflect human behavior and policy choices.

Collaboration between scientific knowledge and local wisdom is essential to make disaster mitigation more inclusive and sustainable. A commitment to valuing traditional knowledge, strengthening environmental governance, and fostering collective awareness will help reduce future risks and impacts. In this way, disasters are no longer seen merely as “acts of fate,” but as the outcomes of human choices and actions.

Learning from Disaster

When examined more closely, disasters can be read as “texts” filled with hidden messages about social inequality. When disaster strikes, the most vulnerable groups, such as those living in informal settlements or high-risk areas, often suffer the greatest losses.

Development pressures, including the expansion of plantations or mining operations, frequently displace impoverished communities from their land, increasing their exposure to risk.

Indonesia’s Natural Wealth and Its Consequences

The Middle East is rich in oil and gas, and Indonesia also possesses these resources.
Yet Indonesia is unique in that it combines underground wealth with fertile forests and productive agricultural land. Many countries with lush forests and fertile soil lack the mineral wealth Indonesia enjoys.

This abundance, however, often invites political and economic exploitation, leading to excessive use. As BMKG has noted, extreme rainfall increases river discharge. Rivers can no longer contain the flow, and forests that have been converted into plantations or farmland lose their ability to absorb water. As a result, powerful currents surge forward, sweeping away everything in their path.

Disaster Is Not God’s Punishment

Disasters do not occur solely because of natural factors such as geological cycles, extreme weather, or volcanic activity. It is true that earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods are part of long-standing natural processes.

Yet many disasters today are worsened, or even triggered, by human actions.
Illegal logging, massive land conversion, construction that ignores environmental limits, and short-term exploitation of resources all increase risk and magnify impacts on communities.

For this reason, we must act wisely and responsibly in managing nature to ensure the sustainability of life for future generations. Ultimately, disasters are a mirror, not only of nature, but of humanity itself. They reflect our choices: how we build, how we extract, and what we are willing to sacrifice for short-term gain.

If every flash flood is dismissed as fate and every landslide attributed to divine will, then we are refusing to look into that mirror. The real question is no longer why nature is “angry,” but why humanity continues to repeat the same mistakes.

Anthropology of disaster reminds us that disasters are not isolated events, but long processes shaped by policies, behaviors, and social inequality. As long as development ignores caution, nature is treated merely as a commodity, and vulnerable groups bear the greatest risks, disasters will persist, not as divine punishment, but as the consequences of human choices. []

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Rector of Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia

This article was previously published on Disway.id. You can read the original version here: https://disway.id/read/917794/antropologi-kebencanaan/75.