By: Irvan Kurniawan)*
The government continues to move quickly to cope with the eruption of Mount Semeru. In addition to focusing on evacuating disaster victims, the Government continues to accelerate the handling of disaster victims to the process of relocating affected residents.
Handling disasters such as volcanic eruptions is something that must be done quickly and measurably. Because the impact of this disaster is not only physical loss but also psychological community who feel traumatized by the disaster.
Before leaving for Lumajang using the Indonesia-1 Presidential Aircraft, Indonesian President Joko Widodo had given orders to the Head of BNPB, Head of Basarnas, Minister of Social Affairs, Minister of Health, Minister of PUPR, Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, National Police Chief, as well as governors and regents.
Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Pratikno on the occasion of a press conference said that the President had given orders to immediately take emergency response actions, search for and find victims as well as provide injured victims and handle the impact of disasters.
The former governor of DKI Jakarta has also asked for assistance in health services, providing logistics for the basic needs of refugees, and repairing infrastructure must be completed in a short time. Jokowi also expressed his condolences for the victims and the families left behind by their relatives.
Meanwhile, the government also appealed to people affected by the eruption to always follow the directions of officers in the field and continue to increase vigilance. Moreover, Indonesia is indeed located in a circle of fire that is prone to volcanic activity.
Regional heads and regional officials are also asked to invite the community to always be alert and continue to work together in anticipating future disasters. In his personal Twitter account, Jokowi conveyed tactical directions related to the handling of the Mount Semeru eruption disaster.
Jokowi also promised to relocate 2,000 houses affected by the eruption of Mount Semeru. He hopes that after everything subsides, the government can repair the infrastructure damaged by being hit by the lava. In addition, local governments must also relocate residents from places that are considered dangerous to be re-inhabited by the community.
Meanwhile, in accordance with President Jokowi’s directives, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has deployed a health team from the Health Crisis Center to help people affected by the Mount Semeru eruption disaster in East Java, for the future.
The incident made the local community feel worried. Moreover, Mount Semeru has been spewing hot clouds that are quite extensive and volcanic ash thick enough to be ravaged. The team of health workers from the Health Crisis Center immediately coordinated with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
The team also brought logistics in the form of inflammatory drugs, inhalers, tents, eye ointments, medical masks, cloth masks, N95 masks and hand sanitizers for officers and residents affected by the disaster.
The eruption disaster apparently caused the Besuk Kobokan bridge on Turen National Road, Lumajang to collapse. The bridge is known to have been built in 1997 with a length of 129 meters and a width of 9.6 meters. The PUPR Ministry finally looked for alternative routes to reopen public access and ensure that aid distribution did not stagnate.
The Ministry of PUPR through the East Java Regional Settlement Infrastructure Center (BPPW) has sent a number of aids and heavy equipment. The ministry also brought ten units of public hydrants with a capacity of 2,000 liters.
On a different occasion, the Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani asked all levels of ministry officials to prepare a state budget to help deal with the impact of the eruption of Mount Semeru in East Java.
To help victims of the Mount Semeru eruption, the Ministry of Finance through the “Ministry of Finance Cares” program has distributed initial aid funds of Rp. 100 million. The assistance was coordinated by the Ministry of Finance’s vertical offices in East Java in collaboration with the local disaster task force.
Among other things, the aid was spent on buying some needed items and distributed directly through the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Lumajang Regency. The assistance provided was in the form of baby equipment, medicines and toiletries.
The Ministry of Finance program is a program from employees of the ministry of finance, this program aims to help the community and ease the burden of disasters that occur.
Handling the eruption of Mount Semeru, of course, is not a joke. Because in the handling of volcanic eruptions, not a few people choose to work together.
)* The author is a contributor to Pertiwi institute
