Jakarta (ANTARA) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati assured that the budget for disaster response measures following the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, is available and ready for use.
"The disaster response synergy mechanism between the Ministry of Finance and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is very strong. We are always ready to respond to all disasters across Indonesia," she said in a post on her Instagram handle @smindrawati on Tuesday.
She added that the disaster management budget has been sourced from the existing funds of the state budget and the regional budget.
As for the BNPB, there is an emergency fund that will be kept ready by the Ministry of Finance whenever needed.
Indrawati said that she is ready to cooperate with all ministries, agencies, and regional governments in rescue efforts, evacuation, fulfillment of basic needs, protection of vulnerable groups, restoration of vital facilities and infrastructure, and all post-disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction processes.
On Tuesday morning, the minister held a coordination meeting on the disaster response to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and the BNPB.
"We express our condolences to the disaster's victims and hope that the disaster that has struck will soon subside and the community's life will recover," she wrote in her post.
The BNPB is ensuring that the basic and logistic needs of residents sheltering at several evacuation centers are fulfilled.
During an online briefing on Monday, head of the BNPB's Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said that clean water, health, food, clothing, and refugee shelter assistance has been provided at three points in East Flores and two points in Sikka.
He affirmed that the BNPB has started to collect data on damaged houses in the danger zones of the volcano for the purpose of relocating residents.
According to data from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the number of people displaced due to the eruption reached 12,200 as of Monday (November 11, 2024).
