"The social aid packages will have arrived this mid-day," Director General of the Social Affairs Ministry's Protection and Social Security, Pepen Nazaruddin, stated.
The logistics resources for the relief aid were taken from the warehouses of the East Nusa Tenggara and East Java social affairs offices and through direct procurement, he remarked.
Apart from distributing the humanitarian aid packages, the ministry also disbursed compensation funds worth Rp1.140 billion to the heirs of 76 dead victims, he stated.
Each of the dead victims' heirs received Rp15 million. The ministry will additionally provide compensation funds amounting to Rp135 million to 27 seriously wounded survivors.
Over these past 48 hours, the residents of East Nusa Tenggara have borne witness to the impacts of extreme weather triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja.
Three residents of Malaka District, for instance, reportedly died after being swept away by flash floods hitting certain areas in 23 villages on Monday.
Search and rescue workers encountered difficulties in reaching the affected villages owing to hindered access to the disaster areas, according to Acting Malaka District Head Viktor Manek.
The tropical cyclone's seeds were detected since April 2, and sparked torrential rains and high waves. Most of East Nusa Tenggara's areas got impacted by the cyclone.
Apart from affecting Malaka District, this extreme weather phenomenon was also experienced by those in the districts of Flores Timur, Lembata, and Sumba Timur, as well as Kupang City.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Flores Timur District Agus Payong Boli stated earlier that some 62 residents in his district died in the flash floods.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that apart from causing fatalities, the floods also compelled several hundred residents to seek refuge in safer places.
Flash floods submerged nine villages in the sub-districts of Ile Boleng, Adonara Timur, Wotan Ulu Mado, and Adonara Barat, Flores Timur District, on Sunday.
The affected villages are Nelemadike, Nelemawangi, Waiburak, Waiwerang, Oyang Barang, Pandai, Duwanur, Waiwadan, and Daniboa.
The debris carried during the flash floods not only claimed the lives of numerous villagers but also destroyed and damaged 77 houses and led to the collapse of five bridges.
The Flores Timur disaster mitigation agency confirmed that extreme weather coupled with a shortage of backhoes had hindered its rescue and evacuation efforts.
Related news: Undertake prompt mitigation efforts in East Flores floods: Jokowi
Related news: District government confirms 62 deaths in Flores Timur's flash floods EDITED BY INE
Translator: Desi P, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
