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Govt to compensate for damaged houses in Aceh quake
The government has allocated state budget funds to compensate people for the houses that were damaged during the earthquake in Aceh, said presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha
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he government has allocated state budget funds to compensate people for the houses that were damaged during the earthquake in Aceh, said presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha.
'During this disaster-response period, we are prioritizing efforts to ensure that people's basic needs, such as food, clothing and temporary shelters, are fulfilled. After this period, we will shift our efforts to providing compensation for damaged homes,' Julian told reporters at Halim Perdanakusuma air base in East Jakarta on Wednesday.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Ani Yudhoyono had just returned from Aceh, where they visited the victims of the 6.2-magnitude earthquake.
Yudhoyono went to Genting Bulen village in Ketol district, Central Aceh, on Tuesday, an area that along with neighboring Bener Meriah regency, was the hardest hit by the July 2 quake.
According to Julian, the amount of compensation provided would vary depending on the level of damage. Owners of a house categorized as heavily damaged, for example, would be entitled to Rp 40 million (US$4,000) in compensation.
'Owners of a house that has suffered medium damage will be compensated Rp 20 million, while those with minor damage will get Rp 10 million,' Julian said.
According to him, a joint team comprising officials from both the central government and local administrations would be formed to asses and categorize all the damaged houses.
'The total amount of state budget funds allocated for this compensation has not yet been determined as we are still finalizing the data on the houses,' Julian said.
According to data from the Office of the Coordinating People's Welfare Minister, as many as 6,178 houses were heavily damaged; 3,061 houses suffered medium damage, and 6,780 houses sustained minor damage.
Julian added that six local people were still missing.
'The President has instructed Basarnas [National Search and Rescue Agency], the BNPB [National Disaster Mitigation Agency], the TNI [Indonesian Military] and the National Police to continue the search for the victims,' he said.
Latest BNPB data reveals that the earthquake killed 42 people and injured 2,617 others. Thirty-three people died in Central Aceh alone.
Also on Wednesday, Yudhoyono said via his Twitter account, @SBYudhoyono, that he had been moved during his visit by two children who had read a poem to him.
'Two children, Ermawaty and Kamaluddin, read a poem, 'Don't cry, we have to get up', to me. It touched my heart,' Yudhoyono wrote.
