Millennials of PT DAHANA (Persero) involved in ‘Alena Community, Yes!’ supplied aid to casualties of natural disasters in Banten through the West Java Volunteer command post, Thursday, January 16, 2020 in Cipanas, Lebak, Banten. The assistance was handed over by DAHANA Millennial representative Ericka Noviananda to Nizar Bontot, the leader of the Moving West Java volunteer team.
Landslides and flash floods hit the people of communities in the Lebak and Bogor areas. Houses, roads and people’s livelihoods were destroyed by huge rapidly moving water. The flash floor swept away two neighbourhoods in the village of Banjarsari and left nothing. 17,200 people or 4,368 households were forced to live in shelter camps.
The West Java Volunteer Command Post was an initiative of West Java students. The post was strategically located as it was situated between two flash flood locations and therefore Ericka and friends decided to deliver on the distribution of DAHANA’s Millennial assistance by means of the Moving West Java Post.
“The location of this post is very strategic, because it makes us possible to easily provide assistance to two disaster locations,” said Ericka.
DAHANA’s Millennials have been raising funds from employees of DAHANA this state-owned company operating in the explosives industry since January 3, 2020 at the DAHANA Campus and also the Jakarta Office. The collected fund was bought in accordance with the needs of the disaster casualties as recommended by the West Java Volunteer Volunteer command post.
“The charity was given in accordance upon recommendations of the Command Post Team, namely folding mattresses, cooking oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt, gloves, flip-flops, biscuits for infants, adult biscuits, and underwear,” said Ericka.
Ericka also said that up to the present time the access road for the distribution of aid is still difficult as the road to the shelter has been filled with mud with a deep of an adult’s calf. Upon arrival at West Java Mobile Volunteer command post, she and the team immediately made a list of needs based on information from the evacuation post to ensure equitable distribution to victims.
Until now, residents who are still remaining at the shelter camp still need a lot of help from the community, especially food. Around 1,000 houses were heavily damaged and even flattened to the ground. The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of Banten has made eight evacuation posts ready scattered in various disaster areas.