Washington, D.C. — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto promptly responded to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). In the midst of his official visit to the United States, Prabowo held a video conference on Tuesday night, November 12 (WIB), corresponding to Tuesday morning local time in the U.S.
“This evening in Indonesia, and morning here in the U.S., I held an internal video conference with the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, relevant ministers, and the head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to discuss the response to the eruption of Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki in East Flores, NTT,” Prabowo stated on his Instagram account, @prabowo.
Prabowo explained that the meeting aimed to receive detailed updates on the disaster and ensure that aid reaches affected residents promptly and accurately.
“I want to ensure that all necessary assistance is delivered swiftly and effectively to those in need,” Prabowo added.
During the meeting, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Pratikno noted that Prabowo had requested direct updates on the natural disaster back in Indonesia, despite being abroad.
“I can imagine he felt uneasy, which is why he wanted to hear the report directly from us,” Pratikno said.
BNPB Chief Suharyanto provided the latest update, reporting that a coordinated response team—including BNPB, the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and local government officials—had been carrying out evacuation and rescue efforts since the initial eruption in the early hours of November 3.
The report indicated that over 13,000 residents have evacuated to safer areas to avoid the impact of the eruption.
“This morning, we also held a coordination meeting led by the Vice President. Since the eruption on November 3, BNPB, the Ministry of Social Affairs, TNI, Polri, and local governments have been actively conducting rescue and evacuation operations,” Suharyanto stated. (RR)