Jakarta (The Indonesian News) – The central government is moving quickly to handle the impact of the earthquake that struck the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) region on Saturday (August 15).
The government has placed assistance from the center on standby should it be needed at any time to support response efforts in the affected areas.
This was conveyed by Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi, who stated that reports regarding the earthquake had been submitted to President Prabowo Subianto.
The government also immediately coordinated with the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), the Head of Basarnas, and the Head of BMKG.
“First of all, we extend our deepest condolences for the several reported fatalities resulting from this earthquake,” Pras said.
Pras said that BMKG had issued an early warning regarding a potential tsunami after the earthquake occurred. However, the warning has since been lifted.
“And indeed, in several places, there was a rise in sea levels, but it was not too significant,” he said.
Furthermore, Pras explained that the central government had also coordinated with the Governor of NTT to ensure that mitigation and emergency response measures were carried out quickly. This coordination involved local governments and all relevant ranks, including the TNI and Polri.
“Both the central government and local governments, as well as all relevant ranks, including the TNI and Polri, are taking mitigation steps and implementing rapid emergency response measures, especially to address the situation in the initial moments of the incident,” he explained.
Pras mentioned that there were reports of several buildings damaged by the earthquake. One of these was in the port area in Maumere. In addition, several offices were also reported to have collapsed.
“There are reports of some still trapped under the rubble, and several buildings—there is a port in Maumere—there is rubble, and several offices have also collapsed,” he said.
The government has asked that all affected locations be immediately inspected to ensure the condition of the community and to rescue victims who may still be trapped under the rubble.
“We ask that they immediately check whether there are victims under the rubble,” Pras emphasized.
On the other hand, the central government has placed support on standby from Jakarta to anticipate field response needs. This assistance can be deployed immediately if required.
“We have also placed assets on standby at Halim in case assistance from the central government is needed at any time; we are ready,” he concluded.
Source: Press Release of the Government Communication Agency (Bakom) of the Republic of Indonesia
