"The public kitchens are managed by volunteers of the emergency response unit Tagana. Each of the kitchens produces three thousand plates of food a day," the ministry's Director General of Social Protection and Security, Harry Hikmat, noted here on Friday.
Hence, the Tagana volunteers are responsible for producing 24 thousand plates of food to be then distributed to those taking refuge due to flooding and landslides that hit certain areas in five districts of South Sulawesi Province, he remarked.
In helping the people affected by the floods and landslides, the ministry had distributed 1,400 packs of food, 15 thousand packs of instant noodles, a family multi-purpose tent, 300 tents, roll-windows camping tents, 50 beds, and 100 mattresses.
According to Social Affairs Minister Gumiwang Kartasasmita, the ministry also distributed several other goods, including 200 blankets and 100 packs of clothes. The ministry`s first phase of humanitarian aid totalled Rp874,517,200.
The ministry has also dispatched 450 Tagana personnel to the disaster zones to assist in the humanitarian mission.
The South Sulawesi Disaster Mitigation Agency recorded that the floods, landslides, and strong winds that hit 53 sub-districts in 12 districts and towns around the province had killed at least 34 people and led to 24 others going missing.
The catastrophes affecting the areas of Jeneponto, Gowa, Maros, Soppeng, Barru, Wajo, Pangkajene Kepulauan, Bantaeng, Makassar, Selayar, and Takalar had also forced 4,471 local residents to take refuge in safer places.
The South Sulawesi provincial government's food security and horticultural office also reported that the floods inundating the districts of Gowa, Makassar, Maros, Pangkep, and Barru affected 13,792 hectares of paddy fields.
Reporting by Desi Purnamawati, Rahmad Nasution
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
