Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Prabowo Subianto asked children affected by severe floods in Aceh to remain resilient and keep their spirit so they can return to school soon.
The President delivered this message while visiting victims of the flash floods in Aceh Tamiang District, Aceh, on Friday, after concluding his state visits to Pakistan and Russia.
“To the children, stay strong and keep your spirits up so you can all return to school soon,” Prabowo said, as seen in a live broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel.
President Prabowo also fulfilled his promise to revisit the victims of the flash floods in Aceh and stated that the government has made every effort to accelerate disaster response.
During his first visit to Aceh after the disaster, Prabowo noted that road access to Tamiang were still cut off. However, the area can now be reached, allowing aid distribution to proceed.
The President also emphasized that the government will continue providing assistance until recovery is complete. He apologized if there were still areas that had yet to received optimal support.
“The government will continue to help everyone. I apologize if some areas still have not received aid. We are working very hard,” Prabowo said.
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Departing from Moscow, the plane carrying the President landed at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan at around 2 a.m. WIB (GMT+7).
The President then visited the evacuation post at the Tamiang River Bridge. From there, he is scheduled to continue his trip to Central Aceh to inspect several other evacuation centers.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that the Indonesian government is currently assisting 894,501 evacuees displaced by floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra, and West Sumatra.
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Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information, and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said in Jakarta on Thursday that the scale of displaced residents reflects the severe impact the disasters have had on the affected communities.
As of Wednesday afternoon, December 10, Aceh Province had registered 831,124 evacuees, with 391 fatalities and 31 people still reported missing.
North Sumatra recorded 45,965 displaced residents, along with 340 fatalities and 128 people missing. In West Sumatra, the number of evacuees reached 17,412, with 238 deaths and 93 people still unaccounted for.
