Prabowo Greets NTT Earthquake Victims
President Prabowo Subianto greeted residents of Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), who are victims of the earthquake, asking whether the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme has been beneficial for them.
He posed the question during a visit to an earthquake evacuation post in NTT on Wednesday (26/8).
“I received a report from the Regent that the people of Nagekeo Regency have felt the benefits of the MBG programme. Is that true?” Prabowo asked.
“True,” the residents replied.
Prabowo asked the residents whether they wanted the MBG programme to be continued in the future. He stated that the programme is important for improving the nutrition of children and pregnant women in Indonesia.
“I think we should continue it so that our children are healthy, so that our pregnant women are healthy, and so that the elderly are safe as they enjoy their later years,” he said.
On Wednesday (26/8), Prabowo visited Nagekeo Regency, NTT, to directly monitor the post-earthquake handling efforts.
During a coordination meeting with relevant officials at the Territorial Development Battalion in Nagekeo Regency, Nagekeo Regent Simplisius Donatus said that his constituents are very pleased with the presence of the MBG programme.
He said the MBG programme has had a positive impact on student achievement in schools in Nagekeo.
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake shook the Flores region and its surroundings on 15 August. Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Lieutenant General TNI Suharyanto reported on Wednesday (26/8) that the death toll from the East Nusa Tenggara earthquake had risen to 105 people.
He delivered the report before President Prabowo Subianto during a meeting at the NTT Earthquake Handling Post in Nagekeo on Wednesday (26/8).
“Mr President, we report that the death toll stands at 105 people,” Suharyanto said.
He said the number of injured stands at 1,678 people, while the current number of displaced people is 179,037.
Suharyanto explained that the number of people directly affected by the earthquake was actually 48, while the other 57 were the result of follow-up search and rescue operations by Basarnas.
“The complete data is indeed the result of SAR operations carried out by Basarnas, then those treated at health facilities who did not survive, and there were also those who suffered trauma, the elderly, and children, adding 57 so that the death toll now stands at 105 people,” he said.
The number of damaged houses currently stands at 81,436 units. Suharyanto also said that the three most severely affected regencies are Manggarai, East Manggarai, and Nagekeo.