Our country is prone to natural disasters. The United Nations and World Bank have also placed Indonesia on the list of countries that are most at risk of natural hazards in the world
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin handed out President Joko Widodo's humanitarian aid packages to the flood victims in Subang District, West Java Province, on Saturday.

The aid packages comprise 1,500 staple food packages, 200 house cleaning tools, one thousand rapid testing kits, 300 thousand face masks, five thousand cleaning gloves, and one thousand mattresses.

Vice President Amin, in the company of West Java Deputy Governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum and Subang District Head Ruhimat, symbolically delivered the aid packages to two selected flood victims during an event at the Pamanukan Sub-district office.

In his remarks, Amin expressed the government's concern over the flash floods inundating various parts of Indonesia, including Subang District, over the past two months.

"Our country is prone to natural disasters. The United Nations and World Bank have also placed Indonesia on the list of countries that are most at risk of natural hazards in the world," he stated.

In addressing this challenging reality, the disaster emergency response, recovery, and reconstruction efforts could not solely be conducted by the government agencies.

Mitigating the impacts of the catastrophes cannot be singlehandedly conducted by the government. To this end, non-governmental organizations and private sectors should also contribute to the disaster mitigation, recovery, and reconstruction efforts, he remarked.

"Collaborative endeavors are so indispensable to make rehabilitation and reconstruction processes in disaster zones successful," Vice President Amin stated.

Various parts of Indonesia are prone to natural disasters. Within the initial two months of 2021, several hydrological disasters have occurred in the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi.

In Java Island, for instance, flash floods inundated certain areas of Semarang in Central Java following torrential rains lashing the city last week.

Landslides also hit Cihanjuang Village in Cimanggung Sub-district, Sumedang District, West Java Province, on January 9.

Meanwhile, in Sumatra Island, flash floods and a landslide damaged seven homes and broke a bridge in Wih Ni Durin Village, Syiah Utama Sub-district, Bener Meriah District, Aceh Province, following incessant heavy rains in the Gayo highland area.

In the island of Kalimantan, massive floods and landslides also hit several parts of South Kalimantan following incessant downpour on January 12.

The floods affected the districts of Banjar, Tapin, Tabalong, Balangan, and Hulu Sungai Tengah and the cities of Tanah Laut and Banjar Baru.

The major floods, triggered by incessant heavy rains since January 12, reportedly claimed 15 lives, swamped 24,379 houses, and displaced 39,549 people.


Related news: Extreme weather forecast in Indonesian regions on Feb 10-16: BMKG

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Translator: Rangga PAJ, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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