There is an almost palpable fear in the air of a repeat of the devastating floods that paralyzed almost all of Jakarta in February this year.

Floods have already inundated parts of Greater Jakarta that are known to be flood-prone, after almost daily heavy rain over the last few weeks.

With more rain and storms predicted in Jakarta and its satellite cities throughout the month, it is no surprise that residents are scrambling to prepare for the anticipated floods.

Preparations include raising floors and building a second story for those who can afford to renovate their houses. Others are simply stockpiling sandbags to try and keep the water out of their homes.

There are many residents, however, who do not have the means to escape the floods. All they can do is wait for the disaster to strike.

It cannot be said the Jakarta administration has done nothing to anticipate what has become an annual disaster. Smarting from the February floods, new Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo has ordered – and inspected – the dredging of Jakarta's canals.

At the community level, residents have been alerted to the possibility of major flooding, to help them better prepare for the danger.

When a disaster is unavoidable, the better people are able to prepare for the calamity can help reduce the loss of lives and property.

February's floods, called the biggest such disaster in modern Jakarta history, claimed 48 lives and displaced thousands.

The city administration has also cleared almost 70 percent of the land required to build the Eastern Flood Canal, moving closer to the realization of this much-awaited and delayed flood control system. The current and previous Jakarta governors share a belief that the Eastern Flood Canal will significantly reduce the threat of flooding in Jakarta.

Though he has made flood prevention a priority in his first 100 days in office, it would be unfair to expect Fauzi to be able to resolve the problem in mere months when his predecessor, Sutiyoso, had years to deal with flooding.

Fauzi needs time to make his flood prevention strategy work. He was Sutiyoso's deputy when about 70 percent of Jakarta was under water nine months ago, but good advice from a deputy is worthless if the boss fails to act on it.

Jakarta is geographically prone to floods as 40 percent of its territory lies below sea level. There are also 13 rivers that dissect the city. This shouldn't be seen as an excuse, however, as many cities around the world face similar geographical characteristics yet manage to avoid yearly floods.

Assuming that sooner or later Jakarta will once again be under water, the city administration needs to prepare a contingency plan to deal with the worst-case scenario. Supplies of food and medicines will be crucial to prevent victims from falling ill.

The spread of disease is common after floods, which is why the city administration needs to get hospitals ready to admit patients.

Slow evacuation of people displaced by floods and the failure to provide them proper temporary settlements are mistakes the current administration cannot afford to repeat.

To implement the disaster management scheme, however, the governor needs to show his sense of crisis by convincing those involved in the work he will be available for consultation and to provide assistance at all hours until the disaster is over. In many cases, a policy fails to be effectively implemented in the field because of a failure of leadership at the very top.

All the flood prevention measures, both short and long-term, however, will be useless without the full support of residents. Instead of spending their time filing demands or complaints, residents should start asking what they have done to help prevent floods.

It is no secret that a major factor in the annual floods is the tons of domestic waste that clog up the city's rivers and drainage system.

A change of behavior on the part of people will mean half the flood prevention work is already done. The rest is up to the Jakarta administration.