JAKARTA (6 January 2024) – The Ministry of Social Affairs (MoSA) distributed aid to flood victims in Kerinci Regency and Sungai Penuh City, Jambi Province. The aid provided is in the form of logistics for evacuees and affected residents.


The Acting Head of the MoSA Public Relations Bureau, Supomo, said that a team from the Directorate of Social Protection for Natural Disaster Victims (PSKBA) of the MoSA had gone to the location to carry out an assessment and then handed over aid.


"MoSA is coordinating with related parties, such as the Social Office, Disaster Response Volunteers (Tagana), and also social pillars to carry out evacuations," said Supomo at the MoSA Office in Jakarta, on Friday (5/1).


Since Monday, 1 January, MoSA and Kerinci Regency Social Office have worked together to create a public kitchen in Kerinci Regency. Three hundred food packs can be served daily by the public kitchen.


Concurrently, in Sungai Penuh City, MoSA supplied logistics to two sub-districts. They are in the form of 15 family tents, 24 packages of kids' wear, 30 family kits, 50 tarpaulins, 32 children's clothes, 20 foldable mattresses, and 15 boxes of kitchenware.


Thirteen sub-districts in Kerinci Regency and six sub-districts in Sungai Penuh City were submerged by water. The flooding in the Kerinci area affected at least 14,340 people, causing two deaths, two injuries, and damage to dozens of homes.


The considerable rainfall that fell from the end of 2023 to the beginning of 2024 prevented the Batang Merao River from holding back the water outflow, which resulted in the flood.


In the meantime, 6,293 houses in Sungai Penuh City were inundated and 839 people had to be evacuated due to flooding. From 1–7 January 2024, Sungai Penuh City Government declared a flood catastrophe emergency.