"East Flores District has been designed as the center (for aid provision) since volcanic ash tends to lean toward Sikka District," Social Affairs Minister Saifullah Yusuf told the media after visiting the ministry's Handayani Social Rehabilitation Center in East Jakarta on Tuesday.
The minister then affirmed that his office would continue to deliver food, beverages, clothing, clean water, and toiletries to those displaced by the eruptions.
He expressed confidence that the Ministry of Social Affairs is capable of promptly distributing assistance items owing to the presence of its 668 social barns in disaster-prone regions across the country.
"In the event of a disaster, it usually takes us between half an hour and two hours to deliver (aid) to an affected area," he pointed out.
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Yusuf further spoke of having delegated his deputy, Agus Jabo Priyono, to attend a coordination meeting on the mitigation of the eruptions chaired by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) office earlier in the morning.
"Due to the quite severe impacts (of the eruptions), over 10 thousand people have been displaced. However, we have been successful in providing services to all of them. Going forward, we need to conduct rehabilitation measures by coordinating with the VP," the minister stated.
Meanwhile, after the VP-led meeting at his office, BNPB Head Suharyanto remarked that the number of people forced to vacate their homes around the volcano has reached 11,553.
He revealed that the eruption-affected residents are currently taking shelter at six refugee sites in East Flores and two sites in Sikka, noting that those residing in Sikka are to be gradually evacuated to East Flores due to the ash engulfing their district.
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Translator: Syaiful H, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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