Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government is mobilizing all inter-ministerial and agency resources to accelerate emergency response and recovery efforts following an earthquake that struck East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), Deputy Minister of Social Affairs Agus Jabo Priyono said.
In a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, Agus noted that the move was a direct instruction from President Prabowo Subianto, which was followed by the division of tasks under the coordination of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture.
“We continue to hold coordination meetings and divide tasks to ensure a swift recovery,” he said.
Based on the ministerial meetings, the government’s immediate focus has been set on three crucial areas: meeting survivors’ basic needs—such as food, tents, clothing, and blankets—accelerating the repair of roads and bridges blocked by landslides, and restoring power and communication networks.
Additionally, the government is ramping up the deployment of hundreds of joint personnel, including rescuers and volunteers, to reach displaced residents.
Evacuees are divided into three main groups: survivors at centralized shelters, self-evacuated residents, and victims in remote areas, given NTT’s terrain and its status as an archipelagic province.
To reach isolated areas like Palue Island in Sikka District, which suffered heavy damage, the Ministry of Social Affairs and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) have deployed helicopters and ferries to rapidly deliver emergency relief supplies.
The Ministry of Social Affairs has allocated Rp14 billion (around US$783,524), which covers a logistical buffer stock, relief supplies, and shelter equipment such as children’s food, family tents, multipurpose tents, mattresses, blankets, and emergency lighting equipment.
The ministry is also operating seven public kitchens located across the districts of Manggarai, Sikka, Nagekeo, West Manggarai, East Manggarai, Ende, and Ngada.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck NTT on Saturday (August 15) morning, triggering a tsunami warning from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) that was later lifted.
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Translator: M Riezko, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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