Data Collection Begins for Damaged Houses

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

Two SAR members crossing Jalan Cisarua, Sarampad, Cugenang, Cianjur Regency, West Java, against the background of houses that were badly damaged by the earthquake, Wednesday (23/11/2022).

CIANJUR, KOMPAS – The Cianjur regency administration has started collecting data on the condition of the houses damaged by the earthquake. The data will be used to determine whether the homeowners will receive financial assistance to rebuild their homes or they will be relocated. However, many survivors want to stay in their village.

For the last few days, the local administration has been taking records of the residential houses that have been affected by the earthquake. As of Tuesday (29/11/2022), data had been collected in Sukawangi village, Warungkondang district, which had been severely impacted by the earthquake: 85 percent of all homes had suffered damage from mild to severe, and around 5,000 residents had been displaced.

The data was collected by officers from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The Sukawangi village administration also took the initiative to take its own records of the condition of residents' houses so they were more accurate. Volunteers and local youth organizations were also involved in collecting the data.

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"I'm worried the houses that were slightly damaged were not recorded. So, we from the village prepared our own data so there will be no jealousy among the residents over some houses not being recorded, even though they were also damaged," Dedi Suharyadi, the Sukawangi village head, said on Tuesday (29/11).

To gather the necessary data, volunteers recorded information from family identity cards and telephone numbers, and also took pictures of the damaged houses. Village officials then processed the information at a disaster aid center.

FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Soldiers from the 1st Transportation and Supplies Battalion of Cibinong Kostrad bring food to the victims of the Cianjur earthquake in Cileungsi Village, Sukajaya Village, Cugenang District, Cianjur Regency, Tuesday (29/11/2022).

Cianjur Regent Herman Suherman said on Monday (28/11) that the data for around 3,500 damaged houses had been recorded. The government had offered several options for people whose houses were badly damaged.

People who decide to relocate can request assistance of Rp 500,000 per family per month to rent a temporary residence before they are relocated, financed through the State Budget (APBN). Residents who decide to rebuild their houses can receive cash aid of between Rp 10 million (US$670) and Rp 50 million, depending on the level of damage to the house.

The government is also preparing three separate relocation sites for the residents. The three relocation sites are a 2.5-hectare plot of land in Sirnagalih village, Cilaku district, a 10-hectare area in Cipendawa village, Pacet district, and a 4-hectare plot in Mande district. Relocation is prioritized for residents of Cijedil village, Mangunkerta village, and Sarampad village, all in Cugenang district.

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Fitri Anjani (22), a resident of Sarampad village, is not interested in being relocated to another place, even though her and her neighbors’ houses were damaged.

"I’m not ready to move yet. I don’t want to move, even if [my] house is damaged, not now. And it will take time to think about moving to a new place,” said the mother of one.

Andi (45), a resident of neighborhood unit (RT) 003, community unit (RW) 002 in Cijedil village, also said he was not ready to move. If he moved, he said, he would have to start a new life as a vegetable farmer. He would move if there was no other choice, especially if the relocation site was not far from where he lived now, he said.

“I have a garden behind the house. If the relocation site is far away, it will be too far for me to take care of my garden," he said.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Residents of the Cianjur earthquake victims worked on plantation land in Ciguntur Village, Cipendawa Village, Pacet District, Cianjur Regency, West Java, Tuesday (29/11/2022). They still carry out daily work such as cultivating the land in between their time at the evacuation post to ease the burden on their families.

Access improvement

Dadang Permana, the seismology coordinator at the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), said not all of the proposed relocation sites had good access. To reach Ciguntur kampung, Cipendawa village, Pacet district, for example, residents had to pass a rocky, uphill road.

"Not only do houses need to be built, but the access road to the site also needs to be repaired," said Dadang.

Meanwhile, the second site in Mulyasari village, Mande district, has better road access. However, relevant parties must start thinking about the availability of water if they want to use that site.

Nonetheless, Dadang hoped that the residents would adhere to the government regulations so that they would not be affected if there was another earthquake. He had surveyed the location proposed by the Cianjur regent and was awaiting the results on whether all sites were feasible or not. Residents could also negotiate if they wanted to build a house in a certain location along with other neighbors from their village.

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Meanwhile, thousands of health workers are assisting with the evacuation efforts following the 5.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Cianjur on Monday (21/11). It is not easy managing the refugees’ health, not only because of their large numbers, but also because they are scattered over several evacuation sites.

A total of 3,175 health workers with various medical backgrounds have been deployed to 194 evacuation sites in the eight subdistricts of Pacet, Cugenang, Gekbrong, Warungkondang, Mande, Cilaku, Cibeber and Cianjur.

The refugees are not in one location. Terrain like this, especially when it rains, is quite challenging and requires extra effort.

On Monday, a number of health workers were dispatched to various locations. Among them was Weni Andriani, a midwife from the Kademangan community health center (Puskesmas) in Mande district, Cianjur regency. On Tuesday, she and her colleagues were sent to Sukamulya village in Karangtengah district.

“The refugees are not in one location. Terrain like this, especially when it rains, is quite challenging and requires extra effort. It's different if the refugees were all in one location,” she said at the Cianjur regent's office. (ERK/IKI/Z08/Z09/Z10)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.