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Cianjur earthquake survivors remain homeless one year after disaster
Cianjur Regent Herman Suherman said most of the displaced residents claimed difficulty in renting homes away from their original houses, which meant they preferred to remain in emergency tents and shelters.
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Education for all: Students of a state elementary school in Sukaluyu village in Cianjur regency, West Java, attend a class on Aug. 8, 2023. The students must take turns in class due to a limited number of classrooms. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
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any survivors of last year’s 5.6-magnitude earthquake in Cianjur, West Java, remain homeless as they prefer to live in emergency tents and shelters despite having received financial assistance to rent temporary homes.
Cianjur Regent Herman Suherman said most of the displaced residents claimed difficulty in renting homes away from their original houses, which meant they preferred to remain in emergency tents and shelters.
"We have given them monthly financial assistance of approximately Rp 500,000 [US$32.38] for three months. However, the survivors say they choose to stay in emergency tents and shelter for various reasons while waiting for the disbursement of stage-four stimulus assistance," said Herman.
According to Herman, another reason for the residents choosing to stay in the tents is the proximity of these shelters to their workplaces.
Herman said the disbursement of further cash assistance for those who lost their homes was under way and would be sent before the end of the year.
"We have sent a decree listing the names of aid recipients of the stage-four stimulus assistance to the Public Works and Housing Ministry via the BNPB [National Disaster Mitigation Agency]. We have high hopes that [the assistance] will be disbursed before the end of this year so the survivors can rebuild their homes," said Herman.
Apart from turning emergency shelters into temporary homes, survivors of the November 2022 earthquake have also turned tents into temporary schools.
Hundreds of elementary school pupils from Cugenang State Elementary School in Cianjur reportedly continue their studies in emergency shelters as their original school building remains in ruins. The school board is using five tents, four for classrooms for different grades and one for a faculty room and to store school documents.
