Nagekeo emergency post in NTT prioritises logistics for vulnerable groups
The earthquake disaster emergency post in Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has stated that it is prioritising the distribution of logistical aid for vulnerable groups and evacuation points with the highest density, amid limited supplies of basic necessities for residents affected by the earthquake.
Johanes D. Kristianus, the person in charge of the Nagekeo Emergency Post, said when contacted from Kupang that a number of vital needs are currently still limited, especially rice, eggs, mineral water, and tents for temporary shelter for evacuees.
“The available logistics are prioritised for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, toddlers, pregnant women, and sick residents, as well as gathering points with the highest density,” he said.
He explained that, up to the fourth day of emergency response handling, one of the main challenges faced in distributing aid is that evacuation locations are spread across various areas.
According to him, some residents also choose to evacuate independently at the homes of other residents, family members, or relatives, so more coordinated data collection is needed so that aid can be distributed accurately.
To overcome these obstacles, his office has asked all village and sub-district governments to proactively act as regional commands in collecting data on the needs of affected communities.
He said that aid management is carried out in an integrated manner through the Main Post, while village and sub-district governments coordinate to collect aid allocations according to the needs of residents in their respective areas.
“Since yesterday, representatives of regional and village leadership have begun coordinating and collecting aid allocations,” he said.
Johanes said his office is targeting at least 70 percent of village and sub-district governments to have completed the collection procedure and verification of logistical needs for displaced residents.
In addition to establishing a priority scale, the Emergency Post is also implementing a response time limit to accelerate the handling of affected communities’ needs.
“Verification and coordination of villages is a maximum of three hours from the report or the presence of the village head at the Main Post,” he said.
Meanwhile, for the distribution of aid to points categorised as critical, the target is a maximum of 1x24 hours after the needs data is verified by the local regional government.
Johanes urged village and sub-district governments that have not yet coordinated with the Main Post to immediately carry out integrated data collection and manage logistical allocations for communities affected by the earthquake.
“We are also opening space for synergy for all parties, donor institutions, and volunteers to support the availability of basic commodities and evacuation tents to ease the burden on our brothers and sisters in Nagekeo,” he said.
Regarding the current number of evacuees, there are 6,221 earthquake victims in Nagekeo. A number of these evacuees are spread across 70 evacuation posts.