"Villagers, do not hesitate. The use of village fund is allowed for natural disaster handling in accordance with the villages' authority," the minister remarked here, Thursday.
In the case of natural disasters, Village Fund can be used to activate refugee posts, prepare soup kitchen, and operate emergency health service.
Village Fund can also be utilized to secure locations affected by the disaster and evacuation as well as provide psychosocial support service.
The minister also expressed his condolences over the loss of lives due to the earthquake that rattled Jayapura, Papua.
"My condolences over the earthquake in Papua that has claimed the people's lives," he stated.
On a separate occasion, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that four had died due to the 5.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Jayapura, Papua, Thursday.
Acting Head of the Jayapura Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) Asep Khalid revealed that the four victims were found from the ruins of a cafeteria that was ravaged owing to the earthquake.
Khalid remarked that the cafeteria was located above the waters in Jayapura City, so the evacuation process undertaken by the expert team necessitated diving into the waters.
In addition to the death toll, the BNPB reported that 700 people had evacuated after the earthquake struck.
Acting Head of the Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center at BNPB Abdul Muhari noted in a written statement on Thursday that the refugees are accommodated at four evacuation locations.
Moreover, the BNPB recorded that at least five people were injured due to the earthquake.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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