Lebak, Banten (ANTARA) - The value of losses due to natural disasters has reached around US$516 thousand or Rp7,762 billion, according to the Lebak District Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

"We are helping repair roads, bridges, and houses, but the construction of permanent housing (has been handed over to) the central government," Emergency and Logistics Head of Lebak BPBD Agus Reza Faisal said in Lebak on Wednesday.

Between January and June this year, Lebak BPBD recorded 277 disasters. The latest incident involved ground movement in Cilangkap Sub-district, which caused heavy damage to six homes and forced at least 46 families in Cikulur to evacuate to their relatives' houses.

Three people died in the disaster, according to Lebak BPBD.

Taking note of the damage and to help the victims, the Lebak district government has repaired houses, bridges, and roads in the area.

The Lebak administration has also distributed wait-for-housing (DTH) funds of Rp3 million per household to help people rent homes and provided logistical assistance to victims to help them meet their food needs.

Meanwhile, the responsibility of handling the construction of permanent housing for victims has been given to the central government.

"I do not think the local government can afford to realize the construction," Faisal explained.

The local government has been repairing subsided road sections in Kalanganyar, Bojongmanik, and Cikulur Sub-districts, he informed. Another 70-meter-long inter-rural road section has also been repaired by the local government.

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It is very likely that the road sections will be re-operated for traffic at the end of July 2022, Faisal said.

"We hope that private companies in this area will participate in distributing assistance to reduce the economic burden on residents affected by natural disasters," he added.

Meanwhile, residents affected by the ground movement in Lebak said that their food and logistics needs have been met with the help of the local BPBD.

"We hope that the residents here who are victims of ground movement can get permanent housing assistance," Udin (60), a resident of Cilangkap, Lebak, said.

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Translator: Mansyur S, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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