Flood victims waiting for aid

TANGERANG: Some 1,200 flood victims living in the Total Persada housing complex in Gembor subdistrict of Priok complained to the municipal administration on Friday about not receiving any flood assistance.

"The residents are always asking me when they will receive assistance and some are even suspicious of me," Yoga, a flood post coordinator at the subdistrict's community units of 07 and 08, said from the mayoralty's office.

Meanwhile, the municipal administration assistant, Harry Mulya Zain, said that mayor M. Thamrin had directly handed the assistance for flood victims over to the Priok district chief, Memet Rachmat Nur, on Feb. 25.

He said the assistance, which comprised thousands of food packages, mineral water, medicine, clothes and stationary for school students, should be distributed to flood victims in five subdistricts: Gebang, Gembor, Priok, Priok Jaya and Sangiang Jaya.

When contacted by journalists, Priok district chief Memet Rachmat Nur said he had forwarded the assistance through all subdistrict offices.

Unfortunately, Gembor subdistrict chief Surnata could not be reached for confirmation as he was out of the office on Friday.

Priok was the worst-hit district where almost all parts of the area were deluged for more than a week during the recent flood. The water level ranged between 1.5 meters and 3 meters in depth. -- JP