During a plenary cabinet meeting here on Monday, the president said that the post-disaster situation is under control, and that follow-up measures are necessary, such as rehabilitation and reconstruction to ensure people can live normally again.
He said the government is also preparing to build 2,000 permanent homes for residents whose houses were damaged by the disasters.
"I received a report from Housing Minister (Maruarar Sirait), possibly starting this Sunday, we will begin building some 2,000 houses. These houses can possibly be permanent residences right away," he said.
He also stated that the government has enough budget for post-disaster recovery in Sumatra.
"Because we pursued efficiency, we slashed down all risk of corruption and leakage, we have the funds now," he added.
He also confirmed that the tactical operation budget, which is separate from the budget for recovery efforts, has also been transferred to regional governments in the areas affected.
Prabowo said that Rp 20 billion (around US$1.3 million) has been disbursed to each governor whose area was affected. Moreover, for 52 districts and cities, Rp 4 billion (around US$260 thousand) was sent to each administration.
"Three days after I issued the directive, the money was received by the districts," he said.
On a separate occasion, Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto said that an estimated Rp51.82 trillion (approximately US$3.3 billion) is needed to repair damages caused by flash floods and landslides across the three Sumatra provinces.
The estimate may change as damage assessments are ongoing and the number of affected residents continues to be updated, Suharyanto added.
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Translator: Genta Tenri Mawangi, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Arie Novarina
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