Former Indonesian Finance Minister Frans Seda wept upon seeing the\nsuffering of victims of the 1992 earthquake and tsunami in East Nusa\nTenggara (NTT). At the time, he was serving as a volunteer and chairman\nof the National Committee for the Flores Earthquake Disaster to help\ncommunities affected by the catastrophe.<\/p>\n
On 12 December 1992, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Flores and\ntriggered a tsunami up to 25 metres high that slammed into the island\u2019s\nnorthern coast. The epicentre was off the coast of Flores, around 35\nkilometres north of Maumere. The powerful tremor caused hundreds of\nbuildings in Maumere, the capital of Sikka Regency, to collapse. Several\ncoastal villages were also submerged after the land subsided due to the\nearthquake.<\/p>\n
Frans Seda, a son of NTT, immediately went to the location to assist\nwith disaster response. He had close ties to Flores, having been born in\nMaumere. Seda was Indonesia\u2019s 14th Finance Minister, serving from 1966\nto 1968, and was the first son of NTT to hold a ministerial post during\nthe Soeharto era.<\/p>\n
Several days after the disaster, Seda helped oversee the handling of\nvictims and the reconstruction process. While among the community, he\nsaw first-hand the difficult conditions the victims had to endure.<\/p>\n
The Bernas daily (16 December 1992) recorded the moment when Frans\nSeda could not hold back his tears while describing the disaster\nconditions. \u201cFlores community elder and chairman of the national\ncommittee for the Flores earthquake disaster, Frans Seda, could not hold\nback his tears when explaining the disaster in NTT,\u201d the newspaper\nreported.<\/p>\n
Seda shed tears after seeing that many residents were still unable to\nlive in proper conditions. The earthquake had destroyed their homes,\nwhile the weather made life even harder for the victims. \u201cNot only that,\nthe people who are now living without shelter are being drenched by\nheavy rain, which is very distressing,\u201d Seda said.<\/p>\n
According to Seda, the suffering of residents was also compounded by\nfood shortages. Health problems emerged, while the condition of children\nwas also a concern because they did not yet fully understand the\nsituation.<\/p>\n
Seeing these conditions, Seda urged the Indonesian public to provide\nassistance to the victims. He believed the people of Flores needed\nsupport to get through the difficult period after the disaster.<\/p>\n
Amid these conditions, the Soeharto government also moved quickly to\nhandle the impact of the Flores earthquake and tsunami. Four days after\nthe disaster, on 16 December 1992, Soeharto sent large-scale aid to NTT\nand declared the Flores earthquake and tsunami a national disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Head of State\u2019s decision to declare the natural disaster a\nnational disaster is expected to encourage communities at home and\nabroad, as well as regional governments, to extend a helping hand to the\nvictims,\u201d the Bernas daily reported.<\/p>\n
From the first day of the disaster, several cabinet ministers were\nalso ordered by Soeharto to check conditions on the ground. About a week\nlater, Soeharto flew directly to NTT to see the condition of the\nvictims.<\/p>\n
At the disaster site, according to the Bali Post (24 December 1992),\nSoeharto checked on the community and called for the reconstruction of\naffected areas to be accelerated. The government then continued handling\nand reconstruction efforts to help residents resume their lives after\nthe disaster.<\/p>\n
According to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the 1992\nFlores earthquake and tsunami killed more than 2,500 people. Around 500\npeople were declared missing and 447 others were injured. Meanwhile,\naround 5,000 people were displaced by the disaster.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/former-indonesian-finance-minister-weeps-while-serving-as-ntt-disaster-volunteer-1787719874", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }