Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s National Alms Agency (Baznas) has launched relief operations to transport aid supplies and provide healthcare services to people affected by the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
Baznas Head Sodik Mudjahid said the agency is actively supporting the government’s disaster response by distributing food and other essential supplies, setting up evacuation tents, providing medical services, and helping restore schools, mosques, and sanitation facilities.
“This endeavor is part of our devotion to God, reflecting our service to the nation,” he said in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Mudjahid made the remarks while reflecting on Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day, celebrated nationwide on Monday, Aug. 17.
He noted that the Islamic philanthropic agency had deployed personnel from its disaster response unit to Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, to establish relief posts and emergency public kitchens, while delivering logistics to quake-hit communities in Reo, Manggarai District.
The Baznas chair also called on the public to support relief operations by channeling donations through the agency.
“Hopefully, God will regard our efforts as a gesture of gratitude for the independence He has bestowed upon the Indonesian nation,” Mudjahid said.
The 15-kilometer-deep earthquake struck Flores and surrounding islands early Saturday (Aug. 15), leaving 70 people dead and displacing tens of thousands.
The government promptly launched emergency response measures, mobilizing state institutions to deploy personnel and relief supplies to affected areas. As of Wednesday, a total of 253 tons of aid had been delivered to NTT.
President Prabowo Subianto also instructed senior officials, including Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno, to immediately travel to Flores.
“We have been in NTT since day one to observe on-the-ground conditions and discuss ways to accelerate recovery,” Pratikno said while attending an Independence Day ceremony in Manggarai on Aug. 17.
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Translator: Sean Filo, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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