Additional Shelters For Tsunami Evacuation Will Be Built In West Sumatra, BNPB Coordination Of Local Governments

The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy (center) together with the Head of BNPB Lt. Gen. Suharyanto (right) in Padang City, Friday (26/4/2024). BETWEEN/Muhammad Zulfikar.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has stated that it is ready to assist the West Sumatra Provincial Government (Pemprov) to build shelters to anticipate a tsunami.

"This shelter is still lacking, BNPB will coordinate with local governments (Pemda). If the local government's budget is limited, the central government will build additional shelters," said Head of BNPB Lt. Gen. Suharyanto on the commemoration of Disaster Preparedness Day centered in Padang City, Friday, April 26, confiscated by Antara.

According to him, the number of shelters in West Sumatra Province is still lacking, considering that the Minang realm is an area prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis and so on.

He said the existence of shelters was important and crucial in West Sumatra Province. Apart from being traversed by the Sumatra Fault, he said, there is also a Mentawai Fault which is predicted to trigger an earthquake with a magnitude of up to 8.9 and has the potential for a tsunami in the region.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said that after visiting several areas in Minang, it was revealed that the number of shelters was still lacking.

"We ask that this is programmed through BNPB to add shelters in West Sumatra," said Coordinating Minister Muhadjir Effendy.

Coordinating Minister Muhadjir admitted that he was also surprised that the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the impact of the earthquake in 2009 in West Sumatra Province had not yet been fully completed. For example, a building is still found in a private university that was damaged by the earthquake and abandoned, but is no longer used because it is prone to collapse.

This means, he continued, the post-reconstruction handling process has not been fully carried out. The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture also assessed that disaster prevention measures were not optimal.

"I ask for concrete and quick steps from the West Sumatra Provincial Government to follow up," hoped Coordinating Minister Muhadjir Effendy.