Victim Search Hampered by Makeshift Equipment

The search for disaster victims in East Nusa Tenggara has been carried out with the use of makeshift equipment. Solidarity to help disaster victims continue to grow across several areas.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A child sees one of the stalls destroyed by flash floods in Nelelamadiken Village, Ile Boleng District, East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Tuesday (6/4/2021).

LARANTUKA, KOMPAS – The search for victims of flash floods on Adonara Island, East Flores regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) was hindered by a lack of equipment. Using makeshift tools, the joint team struggled to find the buried victims.

In Oyangbarang village, Adonara Island, Tuesday (6/4/2021), hundreds of residents tried to find victims of the flash flood that occurred on early Sunday morning (4/4) using hoes, crowbars and shovels. The equipment was used to dismantle soil materials, large stones and logs up to 5 meters in length and with a diameter of about 1 meter.

“We have asked for heavy equipment assistance, but to this day none have arrived. The search and rescue [SAR] team hasn’t arrived yet either,” said Kasimirus, one of the residents. In the village, one resident was found dead on Tuesday morning. Two other victims are still missing.

Also read: Speed up Evacuation and Management of Victims

Similar conditions were also seen in the location where the worst floods took place, namely Nelemadiken village, about 32 kilometers east of Oyangbarang. A total of 54 dead victims were found and two people are still missing. The search for victims was assisted by heavy equipment belonging to a local businessman.

“Ideally, at least two heavy equipment are required. Unfortunately, we are limited by our current conditions. It should have been brought in from Larantuka [the capital of East Flores regency],” said I Putu Sudayana, head of the Maumere SAR office, who led the search for victims at that location.

Also read: Grief Strikes Adonara Island

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Doni Monardo acknowledged that the search for victims was constrained by a lack of heavy equipment. “Even though we can prepare them, we cannot send them, especially to Adonara and Alor [regency],” he said.

Ideally, at least two heavy equipment are required. Unfortunately, we are limited by our current conditions.

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

Dozens of residents saw the evacuation process of flash flood victims in Nelelamadiken Village, Ile Boleng District, East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, Tuesday (6/4/2021). There are 54 dead victims who have been found in the disaster area and the evacuation process is still ongoing.

As for the heavy equipment used for victim search in Lembata regency, NTT, the company is still working on the roads. To speed up the search for victims, sniffer dogs will be brought to Lembata, Adonara and Alor.

National SAR Agency head Marshal Madya Henri Alfiandi stated that his party is trying to immediately help search and rescue victims affected by the disaster. “However, it critically depends on the weather conditions at the location,” said Henri.

Today, the search team will be dispatched by ship to Adonara. Apart from Kupang, the ship was also imported from Denpasar and Makassar. Doni added, according to the President’s instruction for handling refugees during the pandemic, each family will receive financial assistance with a housing scheme of Rp 500,000 per family per month. The funds can be used to rent a house. The BNPB is currently awaiting suggestions from each region regarding data on beneficiaries of this assistance.

Also read: Flash Floods Jolt Adonara

For logistical assistance, the government will be supplying from Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar. Some of it has already been distributed to affected areas, such as in Adonara, Lembata and Alor. For the distribution of aid and medical personnel, some have used six helicopters dispatched by the BNPB. Helicopters are also being used to evacuate victms who require emergency handling, considering that land and sea transportation cannot reach several areas affected by the disaster.

According to data compiled by the BNPB, as many as 117 people died and 76 people were declared missing in the flash flood disaster in NTT. A total of 60 people died in the disaster in East Flores, 21 people in Alor and 3 people in Malacca.

However, it critically depends on the weather conditions at the location.

Additionally, one person each died from Kupang municipality and Kupang regency, 28 from Lembata, two from Sabu Raijua and one from Ende.

As for residents who have not yet been found, there are 12 people in East Flores, 20 people in Alor and 44 people in Lembata. More than a thousand people were displaced.

The disaster also hit Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). Until yesterday, the affected residents had been focused on cleaning up the material leftover by the flash floods that occurred on Friday (2/4).

KOMPAS/ISMAIL ZAKARIA

Dedi Abdullah brought his son Nurfida (7) past their damaged stilt house in Leu Village, Bolo District, Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara, Tuesday (6/4/2021). On Friday (2/4/2021), flash floods hit six sub-districts in Bima Regency which resulted in two deaths and damaged 5,355 houses, schools, health facilities, places of worship, offices and bridges.

Aid

Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini yesterday handed over aid worth Rp 2.6 billion to victims of flash floods in East Flores and Lembata. In addition, compensation was also given to the heirs of the 76 victims who died, each of Rp 15 million. The total amount compensated reached Rp 1.140 billion.

Meanwhile, various institutions, including provincial, city and district administrations in East Java are preparing to send aid to NTB and NTT. East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa said that her party will continue to raise and collect aid to be forwarded to disaster sites in the two regions. East Java is also preparing a medical team to be sent to the disaster site to help handle the affected communities.

The Surabaya administration, as conveyed by Mayor Eri Cahyadi, has also prepared food aid and other necessities.

Also read: Elegy for early 2021: Upstream Landslides, Downstream Flooding

Others across several regions have also gathered aid for disaster victims in NTB and NTT. In Makassar South Sulawesi, students were able to collect aid from pedestrians. The same was done by a number of student communities from NTT who were studying in Yogyakarta. One of them is the Adonara Wotan Ulumado, West and Central Yogyakarta.

In Malang, East Java, dozens of students also raised aid for vicims in NTT. They are students from NTT who are members of the Lembata Malang Student Aliance (Aman).

A number of family and youth community associations, as well as students from eastern Indonesia in Bandung, West Java, have also raised donations.