ReliefWeb

Jakarta / Fri, January 4, 2019 / 04:34 pm

Hundreds of survivors of the Sunda Strait tsunami that hit Banten and South Lampung on Dec. 22 are in dire need of temporary housing, Pandeglang Regent Irna Narulita has said.

Irna said a survey commissioned by the local administration revealed that her regency needed at least 457 temporary housing units for survivors. She added that the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry would build 100 units.

"If we don’t do this immediately, the survivors will feel anxious. They are struggling to recover, financially and mentally,” she said on Friday, tribunnews.com reported.

During a visit to South Lampung on Wednesday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised that the government would support the reconstruction of survivors’ houses as soon as possible.

According to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), 682 houses have been damaged by the disaster in Lampung.

"The reconstruction should be completed in at least three months," Jokowi said.

He also instructed the administrations of Lampung and South Lampung to designate space for the housing, located at least 400 meters from the shoreline. The government for its part has prepared a 2-hectare plot for the purpose.

At least 437 people have been killed, while 14,059 others were injured in the disaster, according to the BNPB. Sixteen people remain missing, and 33,719 have been displaced. At least 2,752 houses in Banten and Lampung were damaged to various degrees, 1,012 of which were in Pandeglang, Banten. (ggq/swd)