Post-Disaster Handling Stages Must Suit Local Conditions, Says Task Force

Home Affairs Minister Muhammad Tito Karnavian, in his capacity as Chair of the Task Force for the Acceleration of Post-Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (PRR) for Sumatra, has reminded district and city governments in Aceh to adjust the determination of post-disaster handling stages to the conditions in their respective regions. “For districts/cities that feel they still need a transition period or perhaps are still in an emergency response condition, do not force them to enter the rehab-reconstruction phase,” Tito said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. He made the remarks virtually from Sumedang Regency during a meeting on the termination of the emergency transition period for disaster management in Aceh. He explained that post-disaster management consists of three main stages: the emergency response period, the transition period, and rehabilitation and reconstruction. During the emergency response period, the focus is on saving lives, evacuation, and handling emergency conditions. The transition period is then directed at restoring the function of affected infrastructure and basic services. “Roads are made functional again, bridges are made functional, even if not yet permanent,” he said. Meanwhile, the rehabilitation and reconstruction stage is a more permanent development phase. In this stage, repairs are carried out not only to restore previous conditions but also to make improvements, such as increasing resilience to disaster risks. Because it is permanent and uses a specific budget, the administrative and procurement processes in the rehabilitation and reconstruction stage must follow normal provisions as in general development implementation. This differs from the emergency response and transition periods, which emphasise speed. Tito added that Aceh Province could declare the end of the post-disaster transition period. According to him, the characteristics of disasters in several areas of Aceh differ from one-off events. In some areas, the threat of floods and landslides can occur repeatedly. Therefore, Tito stated that high-risk areas need to be given room to maintain the transition period, or even return to emergency response status if necessary. This approach is considered important so that handling can be carried out more quickly and in accordance with the needs of the affected communities.