REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Ministry of Social Affairs has prioritized the fulfillment of logistical needs to serve Mount Agung evacuees in Bali Province by preparing a mobile public kitchen using 11 cars.
"Meeting the logistical needs of evacuees remains the main priority," Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa said here on Monday.
The 11 public kitchens were operated in seven districts and cities, namely Tabanan, Buleleng, Denpasar, Klungkung, Karangasem, Gianyar, and Bangli.
In addition, the government has ensured that the rice reserves are sufficient to meet the needs of all evacuees. The government currently had 278 thousand tons of rice.
Parawansa stated that until Sunday, (Nov 26), the number of evacuees had reached as many as 23,737 people, spread over 224 locations.
Moreover, the Ministry of Social Affairs has set up the evacuees' tents since last September. However, the evacuees preferred to stay in bale banjar, a building for local community activities. Therefore, the tents were used to store logistics and provide collective trauma recovery service, especially for children.
Parawansa revealed that her ministry has also deployed 396 cadets of disaster preparedness, who are domiciled in Bali, to help handle the wave of evacuees.
Besides, a total of 718 cadets of disaster preparedness from nearby provinces, including Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, and South Kalimantan, were ready to help.
The 3,142-meter-high Mount Agung in Karangasem district erupted on Saturday (Nov 24) and continued to send out thick smoke, reaching a height of more than 2,500 to 3,000 meters from the surface of the mount's crater.
The institution reported that the mount had erupted, releasing volcanic ash and smoke from the crater, on Nov 21.
The eruption occurred at 5:05 p.m. local time, with grey smoke rising some 700 meters from the crater.
Following the eruption, the PVMBG has also called on all villagers in the disaster-prone areas, tourists, and other individuals to avoid any activities near the volcano and other regions within a six-kilometer radius of the crater, as well as in areas within 7.5 kilometers to the north, northeast, southeast, south, and southwest of Mount Agung.
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