President Joko Widodo Gives Rp1.3 billion to Flash Flood Victims in Garut

Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki hands over the President’s assistance to the victims of flash flood and landslide in Garut, West Java, on Thursday (22/9).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, represented by Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki, handed over Rp1.3 billion assistance to the victims of flash flood and landslide in Garut Regency, West Java, on Thursday (22/9).

As we all are aware, the flood and landslide affect 7 subdistricts in Garut. So far, the disaster causes 23 people die and 18 people are missing. The flash flood and landslide was caused by heavy rain since Tuesday (20/9) evening (7 p.m Western Indonesia Time). The heavy rainfall made water discharge of Cimanuk and Cikamuri Rivers rose quickly.

At 8 p.m., flood, as high as the knee, occured. At around 11 p.m., the water level increased to 1.5-2 meters. At the moment, flood waters in some areas has receded.

Victims’ search and evacuation operations was led by National Search and Rescue Agency. In the meantime, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency is still collecting the data on death toll, the cause of the disaster, and the handling measures.

“We work together to help the victims. Relocation would be carried out soon. However, the most important thing is to improve the environment so the disaster would not occur again in the future. We must take care of our environment together,” Teten said.

The Presidential Chief of Staff also firmly said that it needs an assessment of damage and loss of houses, hospitals, and other infrastructures so that the people will not stay too long in refugee shelter. “People living in disaster-prone areas must be relocated as soon as possible to prevent them of becoming the victims of similar disaster,” Teten said.

In the visit to Garut, the Presidential Chief of Staff also gave directives to Disaster Mitigation Task Force in a briefing at the yard of 0611 Military District Command of Garut, on Thursday (22/9) morning.

To Handle Immediately

Previously, through the Presidential Spokeperson Johan Budi, President Jokowi has expressed his profound condolences to the death victims of natural disaster in Garut and Sumedang.

The President has received detailed report on the death toll, including the location of the landslide, and has assigned Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa and Minister of Health Nila Moeloek to handle the victims.“The President immediately assigned Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of Health to take measures to handle the disaster in Garut, for example to handle the victims and public facilities that are affected by the landslide,” Johan Budi said at the Presidential Office, Jakarta, on Wednesday (2/9).

The President also asked Minister of Public Works and Public Housing Basuki Hadimoeljono to take follow up measures and to coordinate in repairing damaged roads and public facilities. “Besides repairing the infrastructures, there should be actions to handle the people whose house are damaged due to the landslide,” Johan Budi said and added that the President also encouraged the people to stay alert in facing climate change that has the potential to cause disaster, for example flood and landslide. (KSP/ES)(MMB/YM/Naster)