Lieutenant General Suharyanto, head of Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), together with the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, urgently traveled to the Ngada Regency of East Nusa Tenggara Province (NTT) on Saturday to assess the disaster caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake and carry out relief efforts.
According to Belton, acting head of the BNPB Data, Information and Disaster Communication Center in Jakarta, the BNPB chief has ordered the deployment of a helicopter to aid in the delivery of relief supplies and support emergency operations, and it can also be used for evacuation if necessary.
He said that since East Nusa Tenggara consists of numerous islands, there are certain difficulties with transportation and supply delivery between regions, so aerial support is very important for rescue operations in the affected area.
To speed up disaster response, the BNPB has also immediately mobilized emergency response teams to assist local governments in conducting rapid assessments, treating the injured, collecting statistics on the disaster, and meeting the basic needs of affected residents. At the same time, relief supplies and equipment are being prepared to strengthen frontline relief efforts.
According to the latest verified data as of 8 a.m. Saturday, this 7.7 magnitude earthquake has caused 1 death and 4 injuries.
The deceased was from Sikka Regency, while the injured are from Sikka and Ngada Regencies.
Belton pointed out that an earlier preliminary report from BNPB indicated 2 deaths, but after further verification and confirmation by personnel on site, the number of deaths has now been updated to 1.
On the other hand, around 2,000 residents of Ngada Regency self-evacuated for safety after the earthquake and the tsunami warning were issued.
In addition, one family consisting of 6 people was affected in Bima City, West Nusa Tenggara Province.
The initially confirmed disaster damage includes 2 houses severely damaged, 1 house moderately damaged, 2 houses slightly damaged; in addition, 1 food reserve agency (Bulog) warehouse was affected, 3 public facilities suffered minor damage, and 6 government offices were impacted.
BNPB emphasized that the above damage data are still preliminary statistics; local Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD) are continuing to verify with relevant agencies.