Government Targets Zero Disaster Evacuees in Tents by Eid al-Fitr

The government has set an ambitious target to have zero disaster evacuees remaining in emergency tents by Eid al-Fitr 1447 Hijriah. Amran, spokesperson for the Satgas Percepatan Rehabilitasi dan Rekonstruksi Pascabencana Sumatra (Task Force for Acceleration of Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Following the Sumatra Disaster), announced this goal at the Ministry of Home Affairs office in Jakarta on Monday, 9 March.

“We hope that this downward trend will continue until the upcoming Eid al-Fitr celebration, so we are optimistic that all evacuees will gradually reduce their stay in temporary housing units, and we will no longer see evacuees in tents,” said Amran.

According to data presented, the total number of evacuees has declined dramatically since the onset of the disaster. At the height of the emergency, the evacuee count reached 2,178,269 families. In just two days preceding the announcement, the number had decreased by 428 families, bringing the total to 1,872 families still occupying emergency tent shelters.

Breaking down the figures by province, Aceh saw its evacuee population drop from 2,099 families two days prior to 1,695 families on the day of the announcement. Similarly, North Sumatra (Sumut) reduced its evacuee count from 201 families to 177 families during the same period.

Beyond housing concerns, the Task Force is also accelerating mud-clearing operations across affected areas in Sumatra. The cleanup efforts are showing significant progress, with 406 of the total 508 targeted locations successfully cleared of mud. The remaining 102 locations are still undergoing treatment and clearing operations.