Government Build Public Kitchens for Flood-hit Residents in Semarang

TheIndonesia.id - The Ministry of Social Affairs, in collaboration with its local offices, has erected several public kitchens to cater to the needs of residents affected by torrential rain-triggered floods in Semarang City, Central Java Province.

"The government has built four public kitchens in total. We will also assist several public kitchens erected by locals by supplying essential needs," the ministry's Secretary-General, Robben Rico, noted in a statement released by his office here on Saturday.

Rico spoke of having visited flood victims in several areas, refugee camps, and aid posts of the Social Affairs Ministry on Friday (March 15).

Accompanied by a team, Rico toured the flood-hit areas to distribute assistance to residents taking refuge, including those currently taking shelter in the multipurpose building of Semarang University.

"Praise be to God, we have distributed aid in the form of beds and blankets. Hopefully, these items will help residents have good and comfortable rest in shelters," he stated, as quoted by Antara.

The Ministry of Social Affairs has handed over assistance, worth Rp3.088 billion (US$197 thousand) in total, for flood-hit people in Semarang City. Aid items were delivered from the ministry's social centers, education and social welfare centers, and warehouses.

A refugee, Etty, extended her gratitude to the government for the beds and blankets, saying that the aid was urgently needed for better comfort while sleeping.

The city of Semarang has been hit by floods induced by heavy rains lashing since Wednesday (March 13).

According to data released on March 15 by Semarang's Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), the natural disaster has impacted 169,991 residents, forcing some of them to evacuate to safer places, such as mosques and government buildings.