Jakarta (ANTARA) –
Bulog President Director Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani in a statement on Sunday, said that the aid demonstrates the government’s presence during post-disaster emergency situations.
“Bulog is ready to act swiftly to assist the government and affected communities in NTT,” he assured.
As an initial step, his office is distributing one ton of rice to Manggarai District and 500 kilograms to Nagekeo District today.
According to Ramdhani, Bulog allocated up to 10 tons of rice and 1,000 liters of cooking oil for each earthquake-affected district in NTT.
“We will distribute rice and cooking oil aid in stages based on local needs and conditions. Most importantly, affected communities can immediately receive government support and access essential food supplies,” he said.
Ramdhani assured that Bulog’s rice stocks and distribution network in NTT remain secure, ensuring essential supplies remain available to support recovery efforts.
He noted that the gradual distribution of aid was carried out in collaboration with a joint team of officers, the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), the National Police, and Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency), as well as local governments, to overcome the limited accessibility of post-disaster areas.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Nagekeo Regency, NTT, on Saturday, August 15.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) issued a tsunami warning following the quake, which was lifted at 7:30 a.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB).
Based on preliminary data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) on Saturday evening, the earthquake resulted in 47 fatalities.
Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center Berton SP Panjaitan stated that deaths were recorded across five districts: 24 in Manggarai, 17 in East Manggarai, three in Sikka, one in Ngada, and one in Ende.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Arie Novarina
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