President Jokowi instructs fast evacuation of quake victims in Cianjur

Jakarta, The Gulf Observer: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) instructed related elements to accord priority to the process of evacuating victims of the 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur District, West Java.

“I order to prioritize the victims’ evacuation. We must rescue them first,” the president noted at the landslide site in Cianjur District, West Java, Tuesday.

The head of state also expressed his condolences over those who died as a result of this natural phenomenon.

Jokowi urged the ranks of the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (PMK), National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), National Police, Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI), and Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) to jointly mobilize their resources to help the earthquake victims, especially related to opening access road impacted by landslides.

“Praise be to God, the access road that was earlier buried can be opened this morning. This will be followed up by handling, especially rescue evacuation for the road that is still buried,” Jokowi stated.

Later, the government will provide cash assistance for houses that had incurred heavy, moderate, and light damages.

Residents, whose houses were heavily damaged, will receive assistance worth Rp50 million, while Rp25 million will be offered to those whose houses incurred moderate damages, and Rp10 million for people whose houses incurred light damage.

“However, the most important aspect is, the future construction of houses affected by this earthquake must apply the earthquake-resistant building standards by the PUPR Ministry,” he noted.

Jokowi said that based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG’s) observation, the quake in Cianjur was one that occurred every two decades. Thus, the government has directed the construction of anti-earthquake houses.

The number of residents, who died after the earthquake in Cianjur District, West Java, has continued to increase. According to a report from BNPB on Tuesday, the number has increased to 103 people.

The earthquake struck at 13:21 local time, Monday, November 21, 2022. The earthquake was centered 10 km southwest of Cianjur District, West Java, at a depth of 10 km and had no potential to trigger a tsunami.