Kalla Instructs Speed Up in Emergency Response to Bima Flooding
Jakarta. Vice President Jusuf Kalla has called for a speedup in emergency responses to flooding in the West Nusa Tenggara district of Bima last week during a visit on Wednesday (28/12), saying slower responses would only cost more.
The flooding that affected hundreds of thousands of residents have now subsided, with a range of public services running again amid a two-week period of emergency response declared last Thursday.
During a visit to the emergency post at the Bima mayor's office on Wednesday, Kalla said: "The faster the emergency responses to the floods, the better. The slower the responses, the higher the cost."
Last week's floods are estimated to have caused more than Rp 1 trillion ($74 million) in financial losses due to damage to hospitals, schools, farmland, shop houses, homes, offices and other buildings.
Kalla also called for more measured steps to prevent such disasters in the future.
"Short-term, mid-term and long-term programs should be well prepared so that the handling of disaster-affected residents will be better, as well as to prevent similar incidents from recurring."
The latest government data says the floods inundated 33 villages in five subdistricts, affecting more than 105,753 residents with the number of evacuees in 33 shelters decreasing to 6,900 from 8,491 in the last two days.
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