Jakarta – The government has reaffirmed its commitment to expediting the handling and recovery of the floods and landslides that struck Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra. President Prabowo Subianto is targeting a return to normal activities in the affected areas within the next two to three months.
During a Plenary Cabinet Meeting at the State Palace, Jakarta, Monday (December 15), President Prabowo apologized to the public for not being able to complete the disaster response within a matter of days. However, the Head of State assured that all levels of government will continue to work optimally on the ground.
“I have apologized, I don’t have Moses’ staff. We can’t finish this in three days, four days, five days. Maybe it will take two to three months for activities to truly return to normal,” Prabowo said.
As a concrete step, the President has instructed the Minister of Housing and Settlements (PKP), Maruarar Sirait, and the Minister of Public Works (PU), Dody Hanggodo, to immediately build 2,000 temporary and permanent housing units for affected residents. The government is also deploying massive logistical and infrastructure support.
A total of 1,000 pieces of heavy equipment have been sent to the disaster area, including excavators, clean and drinking water tanks, portable toilets, and Bailey bridges. The President stated that additional aid is being provided to accelerate the restoration of access and basic public services.
“Yesterday, we also added more heavy equipment, drinking water trucks, clean water supplies, and portable toilets. We are currently working on 50 Bailey bridges. Land access has largely been restored, but there are certain areas that remain isolated,” said Prabowo.
In addition to land routes, the government is optimizing air support by deploying 60 helicopters and dozens of aircraft operating daily to distribute aid to hard-to-reach areas.
In the health sector, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin reported that the government has prepared 600 health workers and nurses for the affected areas. Of that number, 450 doctors will be deployed initially.
“If you’d like, we can transport them on a Hercules truck so they can experience the Hercules, Sir. If you’d like, we can gather the 450 and take photos and flag them off,” Budi said.
He explained that the volunteers come from various universities, community organizations, and professions, ranging from interns to specialists. The health workers will be rotated every two weeks to maintain their physical condition while on duty. ****
