While visiting disaster victims sheltered at a school building in Wih Pesam, Bener Meriah District, Aceh, on Friday, the president said that dozens of helicopters and planes have been deployed to mobilize humanitarian aid for the victims.
He continued, "We have a plan to replace all homes destroyed or lost" from the disaster, as observed from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube.
The president assured residents that the recovery process would continue and that the government would provide full support to the disaster victims.
Prabowo then urged them to be patient as the government works to resolve the flooding issue, which will take time. “I apologize. The President of Indonesia does not have Moses’ rod,” he said.
On the same occasion, he also commended all parties, from regional governments to security officers, for their contributions in assisting disaster victims in Sumatra.
The government estimated that post-disaster recovery in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh provinces will exceed Rp50 trillion (approximately US$2.99 billion).
Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) told reporters on Wednesday (December 11) that the figure has been reported to President Prabowo Subianto.
“The initial calculation by the Public Works Ministry places the required budget for infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction in the three provinces at Rp51 trillion, with the largest portion in Aceh,” he said.
Damage in 52 disaster-affected districts in the three provinces includes between one thousand and two thousand public facilities, 199 health facilities, 534 educational facilities, 420 houses of worship, and 234 office buildings.
The authority also counted 259 disrupted access routes, 163 severed access routes, 101 road segments cut off, and 62 collapsed bridges.
In addition, 156,500 homes were damaged, comprising 143,427 severely damaged, 2,298 moderately damaged, and 10,808 lightly damaged.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia G, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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