Minister of Social Affairs and Sumatra Disaster PRR Task Force Inspect Temporary Shelters (huntara) in Pidie Jaya

Minister of Social Affairs Saifullah Yusuf (Gus Ipul), together with Tito Karnavian, head of the Sumatra Disaster PRR Task Force, visited the temporary shelters for evacuees in Desa Manyang Lancok, Meureudu District, Pidie Jaya Regency, on Friday, 6 March 2026. The shelters are located not far from the Pidie Jaya Regent’s Office. The visit aims to ensure evacuees live in decent huntara and that government aid is being delivered properly. On this occasion, Tito explained that the number of evacuees living in tents has fallen from around 11,000 last week to around 6,000. The government targets relocation of evacuees at the site to huntara before Eid al-Fitr. “Target kami dengan BNPB kemarin, semua akan di huntara. Untuk masalah makanannya, nanti 10 hari ke depan ditanggung oleh BNPB, setelah itu akan menggunakan uang jadup dari Kemensos,” he said in a written statement on Friday, 6 March 2026. During the visit, Gus Ipul, Tito and their party inspected the huntara facilities owned by BNPB and the Ministry of Public Works, ranging from housing units and the communal kitchen to toilet facilities. They also interacted with residents and listened directly to their feedback on the condition of their temporary housing. Gus Ipul explained that disaster response is conducted in two phases: the emergency phase and the post-emergency phase. In the emergency phase, the government prioritises rescuing victims and meeting evacuees’ basic needs. Subsequently, the government prepares huntara before evacuees can move into permanent housing. He noted that the scale of the disaster requires involvement of many agencies. Not only BNPB, disaster management also involves various ministries and agencies, including state-owned enterprises in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives. “In practice, if there are shortcomings, please understand. Standards may even differ because we want to provide the best possible relief as quickly as possible for evacuees. As the Home Affairs Minister says, rather than remaining in evacuation camps, it is better to move to huntara,” Gus Ipul said. He added that while residents stay in huntara, the government will continue to address shortcomings and follow up on residents’ complaints. In addition to housing, the government also provides assistance to each family occupying huntara or permanent housing. “There is home-finishing assistance of Rp3 million per family; nationwide this is the index. So every family entering a huntara or huntap is assisted with home-fitting. To support economic recovery, at the outset for starting a new life, a socio-economic stimulus of Rp5 million per family is provided,” Gus Ipul said. Meanwhile, during stay in huntara, residents also receive a living allowance (jadup) of Rp450,000 per person for three months. Gus Ipul stressed that one of the most crucial aspects of disaster response is the accuracy of beneficiary data. Local governments therefore have a key role in the data collection, he said. “Data is really the responsibility of the regent or mayor because they know their area best,” he said. The data is then verified with BNPB. To ensure accuracy and accountability, the data collection process is strengthened with oversight from the police and public prosecutors. After verification, the data becomes the basis for government aid disbursement. The minister emphasised that aid must not only arrive quickly but also be targeted and prudent, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives: aid should reach quickly but remain accountable. “All of this is as per the President’s directions that aid should reach promptly but be responsibly accounted for,” he concluded. For the record, Gus Ipul and Tito were accompanied by Aceh Deputy Governor Fadhlullah and Pidie Jaya Regent Sibral Malasyi.