Vice President Hamzah Haz to visit Nias survivors

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Newly elected Vice President Hamzah Haz and his entourage, including caretaker Minister of Health and Social Welfare Achmad Sujudi and caretaker Minister of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure Erna Witoelar, are scheduled to arrive on the disaster-hit island of Nias on Tuesday.

Spokesman for North Sumatra province Eddy Sofyan confirmed on Monday that Hamzah would travel in a CN-235 from Jakarta to the West Sumatra capital of Padang in the morning, and would take off for Gunung Sitoli, capital of Nias regency, at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

North Sumatra governor T. Rizal Nurdin left for Padang on Monday and is to accompany Hamzah on Tuesday.

"If the weather is good Hamzah will visit the flood-hit districts by helicopter. But if the weather is unfavorable, talks on the natural disaster with the flood survivors and local officials will take place at Bina airport in Gunung Sitoli," Eddy said, adding that the Vice President is expected to deliver aid during the meeting.

Meanwhile, Minister Sujudi said in Jakarta on Monday that his office would hand over a total of Rp 512 million in relief aid to flood survivors.

"Some Rp 400 million will be used to rehabilitate 200 out of the 585 houses which were damaged in the disaster," he said.

The remaining money was to provide clothes for the survivors and to compensate relatives for the deaths of their loved ones.

In anticipation of possible outbreaks of pneumonia and diarrhea, his office had distributed adequate medicines and medical equipment to the survivors, including the refugees.

Sumarjati Arjoso, the Director General of Social and Health Crisis Alleviation at the ministry, had donated clothes during her visit on Aug. 2.

In a joint visit with staff from the National Disaster Management Coordinating Board (Bakornas PBP), the ministry also distributed five tons of food supplement for babies.

Entering the sixth day since the floods hit the island, the death toll was confirmed as standing at 83 on Monday.

Previous reports said that only six districts, namely Lahusa, Lolomatua, Telukdalam, Lolowau, Gomo and Bawalato, had been hit by the floods, but search and rescue (SAR) team members found on Monday that the regency of Ananaraya had also been ravaged by the inundations.

The number of missing people also jumped from 187 on Sunday to 192 on Monday, according to data made available by the disaster center in Nias.

A.A. Gulo of the disaster center had earlier said that the number of victims, missing people and refugees was subject to change at any time as a result of the difficulty of obtaining information due to communications' constraints.

Eddy echoed his opinion that communications between regencies and between the regencies and the province had been very poor. "Until now we have yet to be informed about the exact number of residents in Lahusa. But reports from Lahusa have said that the number of dead bodies found is increasing by the day," he said. (42/bby/sur)