East Manggarai, NTT (ANTARA) – Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka assured residents that the government would assist with repairs of homes damaged by last Saturday’s magnitude 7.7 earthquake, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive data collection.
“We will repair the damaged houses,” he said during a dialogue with quake-hit residents in East Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Friday.
Gibran inspected damaged homes and visited an evacuation center in Waso Village, accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno and Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Atip Latipulhayat.
During a conversation with Nining Astriani, a local teacher, the vice president said the government would also seek to provide relief for survivors experiencing difficulties in repaying business loans.
“There will be a grace period. We will offer flexibility so as not to impose an additional burden on people in the wake of the disaster,” Gibran said.
The vice president has been in NTT since Thursday (Aug. 20) to directly oversee emergency response efforts and relief distribution following the tectonic earthquake, which has left at least 78 people dead, 958 injured, and 95,871 displaced across Flores Island.
On the second day of his visit, Gibran met residents in East Manggarai, one of the hardest-hit districts. He then traveled to Reo in Manggarai District to inspect conditions at an evacuation center and a local community health center.
He also joined officials and residents in Friday prayers at a mosque in Reo Village, praying for the success of disaster response operations and for strength for communities affected by the earthquake, according to the Vice Presidential Secretariat.
Gibran assured the public that the government remains committed to carrying out optimal emergency measures and accelerating recovery efforts.
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Translator: Prisca T, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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