"Our program is that evacuees will be able to stay in permanent resettlements in the next two years," he noted.
He remarked that the government needed a relatively long time to rebuild permanent resettlements for disaster victims, as it had to conduct thorough verification to ensure that the locations are safe for them.
He pointed out that several neighborhoods had vanished due to liquefaction and "so relocation is needed."
"It would be impossible for us to build houses in the affected areas. It would be very dangerous," he added.
He revealed that the government had to select areas that are safe from possible natural disasters by micro-mapping potential disaster-prone sites.
"We have found them. We will not allow relocation in areas potentially prone to natural disasters," he stated.
While awaiting the completion of permanent resettlements, the government has currently built temporary shelters for the survivors of natural disasters in the region.
The death toll in a magnitude-7.4 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Central Sulawesi on September 28, 2018, reached 2,102, following the discovery of two more bodies by a marine team in the Patoloan seaport area, here, on Tuesday.
The total number of injured people reached 4,612, while 680 people were still missing, and 152 others remained buried under the debris of buildings destroyed by the natural disaster.
A total of 68,451 homes were seriously damaged, and 78,994 people were displaced.
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Reporting by Jannatun Naim
Editinhg by Yoseph Hariyadi
8:38:42
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
Copyright © ANTARA 2018
