President Jokowi Visits Residents Affected by Mt. Agung Volcanic Activities

President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu Iriana meet with residents in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Tuesday (26/9). (Photo by: Public Relations Division/Jay).

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Tuesday (26/9) visited Coordination Post set up by the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) and the evacuation centers in Karangasem Regency and Klungkung Regency provided for residents affected by the volcanic activities of Mount Agung.

During the visit to the Post, the President received reports from Head of BNPB Willem Rampangilei about mitigation measures that have been taken.

During the visit to the evacuation center in Ulakan Village in Karangasem Regency, the President was greeted by children who sang, “Pak Jokowi siapa yang punya,…yang punya kita semua”.  The President, along with First Lady Ibu Iriana and Ministers of the Working Cabinet, distributed note books for the children at the evacuation center.

Afterwards, the President visited the evacuation center at Swecapura Stadium in Klungkung Regency and directly gave aids to the residents. In his press conference after visiting affected residents there, President Jokowi said that although there is no certainty about exact time of the eruption of Mount Agung and the intensity of the eruption, the Central Government, the provincial government, and the regency governments will continue to use available resources to minimize the impacts of the eruption.

President Jokowi also said that there will be economic losses due to this eruption. “However, of course, the most important thing is the safety of the residents. Therefore, I ask all the residents living near the Mountain to follow instructions given from officials, the Governor, regents, and the BNPB,” the President said, adding that by following the instructions, it is hoped that the impacts from the eruption can be minimized.

During the visit the President was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Minister of Health Nila Moeloek, Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, and Head of the BNPB Willem Rampangilei. (EN/AS/JAY/ES) (EP/YM/Naster)