The kitchens are set up in the compound of the 1605-04/Betun district military command and at a Catholic sisters' monasteryKupang, E Nusa Tenggara (ANTARA) - The Indonesia-Timor Leste border security task force has established two public kitchens to provide ready-to-eat food to flood victims in Malaka District, East Nusa Tenggara.
"The kitchens are set up in the compound of the 1605-04/Betun district military command and at a Catholic sisters' monastery," the task force commander First Lt Arm Hasli stated.
Several members of the Army Women's Union (Persit) and army personnel from the Company A and D of Raider 744 Infantry Battalion are involved in the public community service.
Personnel from the 1605-04/Betun district military command are also extending assistance in cooking and preparing cooked food packets for the flood and landslide victims, Hasli remarked.
The border security task force recorded that 5,326 residents are currently displaced and are seeking refuge at 10 locations around the district, according to Hasli.
The residents, who bore the brunt of hydro-meteorological disasters, triggered by the recent tropical cyclone Seroja, are staying in 10 school complex areas.
To ensure the provision of daily meals for the displaced people, volunteers in the two kitchens, operated since four days, are preparing some 10,600 ready-to-eat food packets daily.
"Public kitchens will serve the needy until the situation returns to normalcy. In serving them, stringent health protocols are being put in place," he stated.
On April 5, 2021, Acting Malaka District Head Viktor Manek remarked that flash floods in the midst of extreme weather, sparked by Tropical Cyclone Seroja, hit some areas in 23 villages of the district.
Apart from affecting Malaka District, this extreme weather phenomenon was also experienced by residents of the districts of Flores Timur, Lembata, and Sumba Timur, as well as Kupang City.
As of April 8, 2021, a total of 163 people had lost their lives due to the tropical cyclone, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
"In total, 163 people died, while 45 others remain missing in East Nusa Tenggara," BNPB Chief Doni Monardo remarked.
Most deaths were reported in East Flores District, especially Adonara Island, where 71 people died, while five others remained missing, he confirmed.
Related news: NTT flooding death toll climbs to 128, as 72 untraceable
Related news: Requirements of NTT, NTB refugees should be promptly fulfilled: Jokowi
Close
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Aloysius L, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
