Assistance from ITS Disaster Response and BMH for earthquake victims in Majene and Mamuju, West Sulawesi

ITS Campus, ITS News – As a result of the earthquake that hit Mamuju and Majene Regencies, West Sulawesi (Sulbar) on January 14-15, as many as 2,000 people have fled to a safer place. Responding this incident, the Disaster Response Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) through local partner Baitul Maal Hidayatullah (BMH) and other volunteers sent assistance in the form of logistical needs for earthquake victims, last Saturday (16/1).

The third time, after working together in sending aid to earthquake victims in South Halmahera in August 2019 and victims of the Masamba flood in South Sulawesi in July 2020, ITS Disaster Response teamed up with BMH again in the humanitarian mission of Majene and Mamuju, West Sulawesi this time.

Quoting the report of the National Disaster Care Action Field Coordinator BMH Syamsuddin, Head of ITS Subdirectorate of Community Service, Muhamad Jaelani ST MSc Ph.D. said, eight volunteers had been sent for the first aid with the assistance of two generators, tarpaulins for tents, mats and flashlights. “Do not forget the medical equipment such as PPE (Personal Protective Equipment, red), supplements, vitamins, and medicines,” said the lecturer who is usually called Lalu.

This time, Lalu continued, the format of natural assistance was different from before. Now, the team that is dispatched does not have to be from the team itself but uses the local network at the disaster site, namely in the Makassar area. Thus, the process is very efficient and safer. “After a disaster, assistance can enter the location one day later,” explained the researcher and lecturer at the ITS Geomatics Engineering Department.

Departing at 11.00 WITA, explained Lalu, the team of volunteers who arrived at Mekkatta Village, Malunda, Majene at 00.30 WITA immediately determined a post that could assist. The forms of assistance provided were in the form of ready-to-eat food, baby equipment, and medicines. “According to reports, in this area food, tents and medicine are needed for closeness that is urgently needed at this time,” said the man from Lombok.

ITS Disaster Response Team – BMH volunteers arrived at the evacuation site in South Mekkatta Village, Malunda District, Majene Regency, West Sulawesi

Delivering Syamsuddin’s report, Lalu also explained that the refugees consisted of 42 family heads (KK) in areas belonging to residents in mountainous areas. These difficult to reach refugee locations are one of the factors that not much assistance has yet been received. “Based on the information from volunteers, the access road to the location is also quite extreme, potholes, rocky and slippery, considering that it always rains,” he said.

Meanwhile, psychologically, many of the refugees in the area were traumatized and did not dare to return to their homes. Sure enough, based on the results of the volunteer team’s assessment, the Melunda District area is the most affected point of this disaster. “Many residents’ houses were damaged, there were not a few buildings that were destroyed by the earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter Scale,” he said.

Things that were not much different were found by some of the other ITS-BMH volunteer teams when they arrived at the second location, in Salutalawar Hamlet, Mamuju, Monday (18/1). Out of a total of 151 refugees, many of them were children, infants, and the elderly. In both Majene and Mamuju, not a few of the refugees were injured due to buildings. “The victim who was injured has not received medical assistance,” he added.

Apart from providing logistical assistance and daily necessities, the volunteer team also assisted the soup kitchens at the two most visited locations. Not only for local village refugees, but this public kitchen is also possible to be used by refugees from surrounding villages. “Hopefully it can alleviate the problem of the refugees there (Sulbar, red),” he concluded hopefully. (mad/far/ITS Public Relations)

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