Disaster Handling Support, Indonesia's BNPB Distributed Aid to West Java

TheIndonesia.co - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has distributed financial and logistical assistance to local governments in West Java to support disaster handling.

"After the coordination meeting, we provided assistance to increase regional readiness, both in terms of budget and logistical equipment for dealing with disasters," BNPB Chief Suharyanto said yesterday, as quoted by Antara.

He noted that the assistance was provided to support the handling of potential floods and landslides across the province.

"Today, we held a coordination meeting in order to anticipate the occurrence of hydrometeorological disasters," he said.

He added that BNPB held the meeting first with West Java because it has been the region with the second-highest incidence of hydrometeorological disasters in the last 10 years.

He said that with the budget, regional disaster mitigation agencies (BPBD) can take action in the event of disaster risks.

"As they already have the budget and equipment, the impact on the community can be minimized," he explained.

Suharyanto said that Rp250 million (approximately US$15,800) of the assistance will be provided to provinces and Rp200 million to districts and cities.

The logistical assistance includes equipment such as rubber boats, staple commodities, mattresses, and blankets to support emergency disaster preparedness.

The total financial assistance for West Java is Rp5.5 billion.

"In case of disasters, BPBD can act quickly," he added.

Suharyanto said that the assistance has been prepared as emergency disaster response measures, as high rainfall has been predicted for the end of the year.

"Due to the high rainfall, we predict several areas will be flooded, including in 2025, and during the dry season, we will be prepared to manage drought," he said.