"The acceleration of this accurate building damage assessment is indispensable," the agency's Deputy for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Jarwansyah said in its press statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.
He said the acceleration is needed because it would make the affected residents whose damaged houses need to be rebuilt or renovated, or get relocated not await too long.
According to the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD)-West Sumatra Office's rapid damage assessment, the recent flash floods and landslides had damaged some 3,437 houses with different severity levels, he said.
Some 1,051 of the 3,437 affected houses suffered severe damage while the remaining 725 and 1,661 houses suffered moderate and minor damages respectively, he added.
The affected houses were found in the disaster areas of Padang City, and the districts of Pesisir Selatan and Pasaman Barat, Jarwansyah said.
He also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the total number of damaged houses has been assessed precisely to meet the rules of the BNPB's Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Plan.
The accurate assessment would help the BNPB and related ministry/ government agencies make the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts to provide the affected residents with disaster-proof homes, he said.
The recent floods and landslides in West Sumatra did not only damage houses but also public infrastructure facilities, including 41 bridges, 13 units of irrigation, and 64 road sections.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy stated earlier that residents living in villages affected by floods and landslides in West Sumatra would be relocated.
"A number of communities and villages in Pesisir Selatan and Padang Pariaman may require relocation," he remarked after a ministerial meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.
His ministry had urged regional governments in the province to find places for relocating residents who are most vulnerable to floods and landslides, he said.
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Translator: M.Riezko BEP, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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