Government Activates Disaster Emergency Management Command Post In Lanny Jaya Papua

PAPUA - The Lanny Jaya Regency Government, Papua Provincial Government, and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) have activated a command post (posko) for handling natural disasters in parts of the Lanny Jaya area that are affected by drought and extreme weather conditions.

The BNPB Rapid Response Team (TRC) last Wednesday was in Tiom District, Lanny Jaya Regency, to conduct an assessment of the impact of natural disasters and assist the operation of the command post.

Acting Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari said the BNPB TRC is coordinating with the regional government and BPBD to prepare a command post at Tiom Airport so that emergency response operations can be carried out in a planned manner.

"The challenges faced in emergency response operations in the Lanny Jaya area include location access, communication, and food stocks," he explained in a BNPB press release in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, August 5.

He explained that the area affected by the natural disaster was about 40 km from Tiom and only the first 20 km of the road leading to it could be passed by four-wheeled vehicles.

The rest can only be reached by foot or using a small plane from Wamena. In addition, weather and safety factors can worsen conditions.

Abdul said that the communication network in the Tiom area is also limited, as well as in the nearby town of Wamena.

Another problem, he continued, is that the rice stock in the warehouse of the logistics depot is limited so that the plan to use the government's rice reserves has not been realized.

"Based on calculations for the operation for three months, 53.4 tons of rice are still needed," he said.

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Extreme weather conditions since June 2022 have hit parts of Lanny Jaya Regency, beginning with the phenomenon of frost and hail.

The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Papua Province informed that this condition caused crop failure, which was further exacerbated by drought.

According to BNPB, the Lanny Jaya Regency Government has established an emergency response status from July 24 to August 30, 2022 and has established an Emergency Handling Post for Natural Disasters of Frost and Hail.

The Lanny Jaya Regency Government estimates that extreme weather conditions can last for five months based on a similar phenomenon that occurred in 2016.

This extreme weather phenomenon is reported to have an impact on the Kuyawage District, which includes Kampung Luarem, Jugu Nomba, Uwome, and Tumbubur.

BPBD Papua Province identified as many as 548 families consisting of 2,740 people potentially affected by drought in the area and 56 hectares of plantation land in the region could be damaged by extreme weather.

The Lanny Jaya Regency Government has sent food assistance and a health team to areas affected by extreme weather and distributed aid for basic food, ready-to-eat food, clothing, and blankets to residents affected by the disaster.