Govt to give financial aid to quake victims

Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Saturday in Padang, West Sumatra, the government would hand out cash to earthquake victims whose houses had been damaged, Antara reports.

"As of November, the government will begin distributing the cash,” Kalla said.

“This is aimed at helping quake victims buy the material needed to repair their homes."

The Vice President promising sufficient supplies of construction material would be available to restore the whole city.

"The amount of cash handed out will depend on the extent of the damage,” he added.

“Owners of homes that are badly damaged, for instance, may get up to Rp 15 million (US$1,556)."

As of Saturday afternoon, the West Sumatra disaster management coordination unit has reported 21,738 houses are badly damaged and 6,721 are moderately damaged.

In addition, at least 55 office buildings and 52 mosques are also reported damaged.

Kalla said the final tally of victims and damage would be out in two weeks.

"Afterward, we’ll start rebuilding all the damaged buildings and repairing the broken infrastructure," he said.